We've just added three new titles to our exciting new book series:
The Smartest Thing I Ever Did™ ...as a Freshman in College
The Smartest Thing I Ever Did™ ...as a Senior in College
The Smartest Thing I Ever Did™ ...After Graduating from College
Students and grads today are just starting their academic and professional careers in the most complex world ever...filled with confusion as well as opportunity. Share the stories of things you did that helped you through those tough years and come out on the other side as a successful, confident grown-up.
Did you learn some lessons the hard way and want to help others avoid the same mistakes? Did you take time off to travel so you could face the job hunt with greater clarity? Did you start a successful business in your dorm? Maybe you put off grad school until you had some real-world experience under your belt...or maybe you decided that freelancing and volunteer work fit you best. They say that hindsight is 20/20—what do you know now that you wish you had known when you were first striking out on your own?
Share your stories here and help this new crop of Millennials make it in the real world! The story voted BEST for each book wins $100 cash prize; other prizes, too!
Submission deadline: Friday 16 October 2009
NEW! If you're a recent grad, a member of the Class of '09, or know someone who is, go to TakeChargeBookSeries.com right now to grab your free copy of the e-edition of our 256-page, newly-released print book, Grads: Take Charge of Your First Year After College! Get it for yourself or a special grad in your life!
I had so many people tell me not to accept the first job just because it was offered. Well, that was a hard distinction to make when I was looking for work. I did take the first offer, and I don't think I took it "just because it was an offer." I did not stay in that job (or that career path), but from it I certainly learned more about me and about life-- and about what I wanted to do in the long term.
I wouldn't trade anything for the friends I made in that job or for the experience I gained or the fun I had.
Whether it is the first offer or the fifteenth, enthusiastically jump in and give it your all. You will never regret it.
Posted by: English Koontz | January 05, 2009 at 07:36 PM
Barely out of college two years, I was fortunate enough to find myself in a job I liked and a career path I loved. I was happy with where I was geographically, as well.
So I bought a house. I investigated new home buyer programs and many aspects of home ownership-- as well as the real estate market in the area. Well, that first home provided me the financial means for each subsequent move.
As a 24-year-old single woman buying a first home, I remember wondering if it was the right thing to "buck the system." Aren't you supposed to meet someone, marry, and buy a home together? Well, I decided that I had to do what was right for me while I had only me to focus on, and it turned out to be one of the smartest things I ever did.
Posted by: English Koontz | January 05, 2009 at 07:47 PM