What is Spring synonymous with? May flowers? Yes, and the countless social media posts celebrating college graduates. Seeing these postings got me thinking about my own journey and experiences as a wide-eyed newly graduate from Columbia University’s School of Social Work (CSSW). It’s been three years since I graduated with a Master of Science in Social Work.
Career
At CSSW, I decided on the Advanced Generalist Practice & Programming (AGPP) concentration. AGPP is a track that prepares you to work with individuals and communities utilizing evidence-based interventions for advocacy and program planning. I’d like to think of it as an MBA for social work. Sounds neat, right? Surely everyone would see the value in my experience and education, and jobs would come pouring in.
After graduation, I did a bit of traveling. After traveling, I made looking for a job my full-time job. Your girl was out in these streets, averaging an interview a week. Although this felt great, it wasn’t enough to land me a job. Why? I didn’t have a well-thought-out plan. I used the “cast a wide net” approach and applied to positions at schools, community centers, hospitals, tech companies, basically anywhere that had an opening. That strategy was OK, but being intentional is better. Looking back, I think not being focused harmed my process. I wasn’t able to build momentum between interviews as the positions I interviewed for differed vastly.
I did some things right, like having a list of minimum qualifications for my future job, such as salary and travel requirements. There were a few positions that I did not accept because they didn’t meet my minimum requirements. I can look back on that experience, and say, I learned a lot about the interviewing process. I’m a boss at writing a cover letter and landing an interview. With all that said, it still took me four months to find a job.
I decided a career in Operations was for me. I didn’t stay long as I realized that I was straying from my original plan of program planning. It became harder and harder to do the work I wanted to do. For example, I learned that socio-emotional learning has to be a top-down approach. This isn’t any shade to the organizations I’ve worked with, but the buy-in from leadership, teachers, parents, students, etc., is essential. And this requires a school cultural reckoning of sorts, which can take years to achieve. Would I do things differently? Hell no! I learned a lot about myself in this process, and for that, I’m grateful.
And guess what? I do mental health counseling as well. I didn’t envision myself as a mental health practitioner three years ago. If you know anything about me, you would know that program planning is my passion –and still is. Mental health counseling has now found its way into my new career plans. I’m in the process of being intentional with my macro and micro footprints. If I could advise newly graduates, it would be to stay focused on your why. See my seven essential career tips below.
Seven Career Tips
- Be intentional. Have a 2-year plan, be strategic about the marketable experiences you’ll need to have, learn, or strengthen.
- Have some standards! If the job doesn’t meet your minimum requirements, you will come to resent that job, and you will be no good to the population you’re serving and the people that depend on you.
- Don’t get discouraged by rejection. It only takes one yes. What’s for you will be for you.
- Pivot. Be flexible and agile. If your path isn’t working for you, re-group, re-strategize and make a move.
- Don’t compare yourself to anyone. This is your journey and yours alone. Get yourself a pair of horse blinkers and stay in your lane –you’ll thank yourself later.
- Sometimes you have to take the scenic route. Your path will most likely not be linear, and you should not expect it to be, especially when growth and development are on the horizon.
- Be a visionary. Keep your options open.