Throughout the course of this class & my college career, I’ve been planning & strategizing on how I will begin my professional career. I think so much about various paths & potential ideas on what to do with my life, that sometimes I get caught up in the moment & lose sight of whats happening & what I need to be doing now. Mary Oliver’s “ A Summer’s Day” signifies how beautiful life can be & alleviates the pressure that some may feel about what the future will hold.
I plan on some day working for myself & operating my own business so I can have more control over my life & not have to answer to anyone. By being self-employed, you can have much more control over your life & be around for the moments that matter, such as seeing your children grow up. While I don’t have my entire life plan mapped out, I do have a very good idea of where I want to be in the next five years, & I also am aware of what steps I need to be taking now in order to succeed. My first order of business is to acquire more knowledge & experience by participating in internships & working jobs relating to my field of study. Secondly, I will need to network much more.
Before I can jump right into owning & operating my own business, I need to acquire a lot more experience & knowledge than I currently have. My first task is to get an internship through Darden, who frequently hires COBA students directly from UCF, since their headquarters is actually located in the heart of Orlando. I currently work as a server for Olive Garden, which is owned by Darden, so I will have an excellent chance of getting a marketing internship with them, due to the fact that I am already a part of their corporation.
My general manager & I have an excellent rapport, as I have crossed the likability & trust thresholds, so I’m sure she will be able to help me land my desired internship. If & when I able obtain the internship, I would be receiving on the job training while building relationships with other professionals in my field. Even if I didn’t stay with Darden, the connections I will be forming will stay with me no matter what.
Also, another key part of becoming a business owner & entrepreneur is networking. Forming connections & bonds with individuals who can potentially help mentor you, or at the very least introduce you to other people who can help you, is a crucial component for not only business students, but everyone in general. Getting my internship will definitely help with forming connections, but there are various other means of networking as well. UCF hosts many different “Career Days” & job fairs to help students connect with employers & professionals in their respective fields. By being more motivated to attend these functions, & creating several resumes & business cards, I could easily double my network in a single day. Networking is not hard per say, it just takes confidence & drive to go out & do it. I have the confidence, but I will admit I have been lazy.
To conclude, I’ve come a long way, but I still have quite a ways to go. My GEB classes have given me the tools & advice that I need to get to where I want to be. I can properly identify the steps I need to take, & I feel confident in taking them to get my desired results. By using the knowledge that I gained in GEB3005, I will be able to properly align myself with professionals & other people so that I can make a lasting impression & form bonds that well help in my future endeavors. I’ve done various activities that have helped me ease into the professional world, such as conducting informative interviews, learning new skills via Lynda, & having my resume thoroughly reviewed by managers who look at resumes for a living. All of these experiences have made me better overall, & for that I am appreciative.
