Between college, internships, and graduation, adulting can be hard. You might have a needy boss or an odd desk-mate. We asked what each FoxFuel member would tell their 20-year old self. Read what advice the FoxFuel team has for navigating this exciting, crazy time in your life!
Colton:
Find the smartest people in every room and offer to buy them coffee/lunch/beers, then ask them this same question.
Hutzel:
College is about proving your capabilities, not just picking up skills. And, use this for making money.
Joe:
Get a firm grasp on financial basics as early as possible—how debt and interest work, how saving and investing work, etc. As a college kid, that stuff sounded boring and lame to me. But the earlier you develop good habits in those areas, the more freedom you’ll have later in life.
Rachel:
Abandon your pride and have no shame—be willing to look dumb, be wrong, and ask so many questions it borders annoying. And most importantly, spend most of your energy investing in other people. Serving only yourself usually ends up self-sabotaging. You’ll go so much further and have so many more opportunities presented to you if you take a little time to invest in the people around you.
Kelsey:
My advice is to meet as many people as you can. Take people to coffee, buy them a drink. Pick their mind and learn about their journey. Then, stay in touch. Don’t let them forget you. It’s your connections that get you better jobs and more opportunities. Another thing is that any job can teach you. Your first job may not be your dream job, but you should work hard at it and get all the life experiences out of it that you can. And it’s always easier to find a job when you have a job.
Mary Ellen:
Internships: Don’t be afraid to make friends with the older co-workers around you. There may be times when you have no work to do, so ask everyone if they need help. And definitely go out to lunch and get to know everyone.
College: Don’t worry too much about making perfect grades. Focus more on establishing great relationships and volunteering to work on cool projects that you’re passionate about around the city.
Post-grad: If you have your heart set on one particular plan/job/city, and it doesn’t seem to be working out at the moment, keep in mind that it might not be the right thing for you right now. Instead, look around for the opportunities that are right in front of you, and go do that for a while. The results will be magic.
Drew:
Don’t be afraid to ask if you can be part of a project. Inject yourself wherever you can without derailing the team. And go to the dentist. Seriously. That shit doesn’t just go away.
Ian:
Say “yes” to things, and believe that you’re adaptable enough to do them well. Even if you have no idea what something entails, you can figure it out as you go along. Your biggest enemy is self-doubt, and your best friend is confidence to learn on the fly. Nobody else has any idea what they’re doing either—challenge them, you might be surprised what you find!
Ashley:
Follow-up. To your applications, after your interviews, with your clients, with your bosses. Don’t be afraid to be a little annoying if you haven’t received a response, show your appreciation with a thank you note, or ask for feedback before its given. Being proactive and persistent will present you with doors you otherwise never would have had the opportunity to open.