The Ability Project » experience

Don’t Listen To Us #2: Grace Boyle

Barb — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:00:09 +0000

Last time we brought to you our first “listen to them instead,” which was Rebecca Thorman of Modite.com. This week we are showcasing another person: Grace Boyle of Lijit.

Named by numerous websites as one of the top Gen-Y reads, Grace Boyle’s down-to-earth “Small Hands, Big Ideas” uncovers everything from social media to worklife to the need of finding balance in her busy life. With topics that everyone can find himself relating to and understanding, there is something for each person that comes across Small Hands, Big Ideas. And to add spice to this tasty find, guest bloggers (including her dad!) offer their own insight from time to time, as well as the Friday linky love, which shows off the week’s great finds. And with such an earnest and lovely personality, Grace is a must-follow.

Look to Grace for:

Anecdotal advice from this Gen-Y’er
Thoughts on work and social media
Musings on interesting workplace articles
Advice on balancing that new career and personal life
Opinions from those that she respects and admires
Ways to convince you that Colorado isn’t such a boring place to live

So Mom Did Have Some Good Advice…

Barb — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:25:02 +0000

Remember staring at the vegetable plate when you were a kid with your mother’s voice echoing “just try it?” Well, you might want to entertain the idea that there was some sound advice in that plea for you to eat your broccoli.

A lot of us go through school either knowing exactly what we want to do or not having the slightest clue what to do when we get handed our diploma. And while it may seem grand that some people have their lives planned, do they really know what a good fit is for them? I’ve heard students tell me how they’re going to go to law school and become a lawyer, or go to medical school and become a surgeon. But seriously, for those of you have who consider such roads, have you even stepped foot into a law firm and sat down to get a feel for cases, or volunteered in a hospital ER? Probably not.

In order to get a feel of what you want to do and to be sure of what you like and dislike, try things out. Whether it is through volunteering or through internships, experiencing the environment is the way to know for sure. If it turns out that you don’t like a certain path after all, then that’s also great. You won’t have to spend the rest of your college years working toward a field that you weren’t interested in at all. And when opportunities present themselves, always try to take them. Even if you might not have an interest in that particular opportunity, you are bound to learn something from that experience so just give things a try.

School’s Out! But You’re Not Done Learning

Barb — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:29:41 +0000

Last week, I sat down with Ellen East, EVP of Time Warner Cable, to gain perspective on a couple of things. And while I could easily type up the gist of our conversation and title this entry as “Interview with Time Warner Cable’s Ellen East,” I think there’s more to be had than just a Q&A session. In fact, there’s a whole lesson to be learned: one which not only humbles but also spotlights experience.

While discussing her work in journalism, Ellen made an interesting statement: she would make a much better journalist now if she returned to the field in spite of not having being in the industry for two decades. When she made that remark, though, I didn’t follow her. So Ellen explained to me that “as a reporter, you only see a slice.” And with that, she gave me a great example.

In the 90s, broadband was considered to be a great development for the telecommunications industry with it being conceptualized and launched in a matter of two years, which was viewed to be incredibly fast by those in the business. The first question, however, that a reporter asked when seeking a quote from Ellen was “what took so long?” Obviously, the reporter could only see from the everyday person’s lens and not place the news in context.

So what was Ellen’s point? Quite simply put: you need to be dynamic. Fresh out of college, you may think that you know the industry just because you’ve had several great internships under your belt. And hey, you’re not to blame. After all, you’re exposed to a lot of new things and information when you’re working, so you may get the impression that you’ve already learned all that is available. Sorry to break it to you, though, there are always more lessons to be learned. So while your view on things may be skewed as you emerge into your career (that’s normal!), keep in mind that all experience and knowledge will greatly assist you in understanding your work on hand and your environment.

Drop the Books and Pick-Up Some Experience

Barb — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:19:00 +0000

Remember when your teachers and parents would always say that as long as you worked hard in school, you would have amazing opportunities after? Well, that is probably the biggest misconception you could ever have. Let’s get it straight: snagging fantastic grades and being captain of the math league at school aren’t qualities that will land you a job with the Big4. What will better aid you, though, in landing employment after graduation is actual work experience during your undergrad years.

Gaining hands-on experience in the industry of your choice is essential. You make yourself that much more marketable with honed-in skills and a real perspective of the business world. Listing only a fabulous GPA on your resume does not, by any means, communicate technical and soft skills; however, work experience does. With a couple internships under your belt, you can easily demonstrate several soft skills that are essential for success: communication skills, perseverance, and an eagerness to learn.

In addition to demonstrating that you have a working knowledge of the field, you also to yourself that this industry is where you belong. Let’s use an unrelated example: when you go to a restaurant and you look at the menu, you find your mouth salivating just reading the names and descriptions of some dishes. But when the plates arrive, you find that some of these dishes are not to your liking just but that’s only out of preference. So you see, there’s a fine line between theory and practice, and this idea also applies to professions. You might enjoy the idea of a career up until the point where you find out that the people and environment aren’t for you. Why would you want to wait four years to find out that you wasted your bachelor’s degree on a career you end up waiting when you could’ve spent a summer interning to find out?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that school grades are completely useless. Doing well and having the grades to prove it does give you an edge, but only so much of one. The market is saturated with many excellent graduates, so you have to make yourself stand out by showing your interest and bypassing the need for basic training.

And so what if you went to a prestigious university? Well, if all you ever did was study then the money spent was a waste. That lump sum of a tuition you paid bought you a wedge to stick in the door of the working world. The name of the school awarded you more credibility than what you had when looking for your first job (which is equivalent to zero), as well as a chance to open your mind and to make fabulous connections. After all, not every school can have the EVP of Time Warner Cable come to speak to a small class or have the editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit do a speaking engagement while on vacation in Paris. If you have the opportunity to go to a school with great connections, take advantage of it and get ready to jot down your own experiences, instead of reading about others’.