As a college student, “future” is a finite term with a vague definition- the variability of our future and the risk we associate to it is a subject that accounts for a significant portion of stress seen on campus. Whether it is income, respectability or relationship goals, there are standards everyone sets, strives to attain and dreads falling short of. Hedging this risk therefore is an important facet of the collegiate lifestyle and one that ultimately relies on each and every decision made, big or small, throughout the years spent on campus. Taking a look at managing risk, there are no benchmarks for an “acceptable” amount. Risk is only one half the equation. The other half, the justification and exigency for risk, is the reward one could achieve. To put risk in perspective, one needs to compare it to reward. Like altering a denominator and numerator in a fraction equating to a constant value, risk and reward share a direct relationship and must therefore be looked at through a relative mindset. The success and strategy in managing risk is contingent on the student who desires the reward. Personally, I have lofty visions of success and have a tendency to willingly accept considerable risk to achieve my goals. As a goal-oriented person, the risk I incur is high in sheer size but low relative to the trajectory I strive to put myself on. Mindful of the fact that every decision made on college affects this trajectory, there are methods I use to limit the risk incurred.
First and foremost, nothing is truly achievable without effort. Effort is one of the reasons behind every accomplishment and is a term without bound: one can never try too much. Effort then is the old-fashioned way of hedging risk. The more someone works towards their goals, the greater the chance one has at success. It’s hard to deny that. The greater the chance someone has at success, the less is the risk incurred to achieve it. Simply walking away from each and every instance in life knowing that I tried-I truly tried- is success in and of itself. Following effort, each victory is a justified and steady step towards larger goals. Each defeat is a lesson.
Most people’s success deals with materialistic gain: money, power, prestige, etc. It almost goes without saying that the easiest path to achieving these is through a good job. Good jobs are attained at difficulty (and at great risk), even if the utmost amount of effort is given. Therefore there are a few unique steps I have learned to take in order to reduce this risk and increase my chance of attaining a respectable job. Networking, gaining relevant experience and learning soft skills are three cornerstone facets of this.
Networking, the construction and maintenance of a hopefully expansive web of people, is incredibly important in this day and age. Professionals who have the ability to offer jobs to others tend to do so for people who they trust will success. As a student, it’s crucial to convince the recruiter that you are the one who can fill those shoes. Networking doesn’t do the convincing, but it does put in contact with the people you have to convince. That’s half of the battle.
Gaining relevant experience is in many ways a byproduct of effort. I’ve learned that in order to make myself marketable to those who can put me in my dream job, I need to have the tools (and not just the talk) to succeed once I’m there. It’s important and recruiters know it. Internships, jobs, classes, extracurricular activities and more can suffice as a means of gaining relevant experience.
Soft skills go hand in hand with relative experience and networking. Typically when someone is successful at two of these three facets, they’re successful at the third. The ability to lead, mentor, communicate and inspire is ultimately the bare bones of one’s potential. Technical skills can be learned but the best leaders are born and trained. I’ve learned to make myself marketable by training myself; I strive to involve myself with as many opportunities on campus as possible with the end-goal of interacting with as many people as I can. The ability to communicate is one that is relevant and important regardless of the job you dream of.
Ultimately, these three intertwined skills make up a big picture of success and one’s ability to achieve it. The risk that is incurred in the strife every college student knows all-to-well is hedged by effort and is relative to the degree of success you know you deserve.
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