What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 offers important, thought-provoking advice for any and every person in their third decade of life. Author, entrepreneur, neuroscientist, and teacher Tina Seelig shares these tips through enjoyable and relatable real-life examples. Although most of Seelig’s pointers are cliché, it never hurts to have a reminder. Here are a few to carry into the new school year:
- The formula for the career path you want is only one option for getting there. Students tend to get swept up in the idea that there is an automatic next step that must be taken to get where they want to be. In doing so, we forget that there are side routes, detours, and stops along the way. Seelig encourages exploring these creative paths and challenges the notion that we must or even should stick to the established track. This takes practice, but results can expose us to new experiences and opportunities. Many professors at Cornell did not start their college careers with the end goal of being in academia (check out this interview with Dr. Tashara Leak to see just how many times a career path can change), and some profs were even college dropouts! Gap years, career changes, and first job mishaps are all a part of the process.
- Your skills are relevant to every challenge, even if it’s not an obvious fit. There is often pressure to tailor every activity and experience to our career goals. Seelig suggests that all skills are applicable in some form or another, and we should therefore pursue what interests us rather than what we think will make us the best candidate for a certain career. In the end, your interviewers are human too, and they want to see that you have interests! So go to Club Fest and sign up for that dance team you’ve always dreamed about! You’ll have fun, meet new people, and gain transferrable skills for your future, even if it doesn’t appear to be relevant on the surface.
- Success does not come without failure. It is easy to get discouraged by setbacks, but Seelig views messing up as a stepping stone. She stresses that failure is external, and that you do not become a failure when you do not achieve a goal. Rather, you’re one step closer to success. Sure, bombing the first CHEM 2070 prelim is not a great feeling, but there’s a long line of doctors, nurses, and researchers who did, and they are still at the tops of their fields today.
