Skills to Pay the Bills

I came across this article (Class of 2013: Master These 15 Simple Skills) while updating my LinkedIn profile this morning and gave it a read. I think a lot of these things are particularly relevant and while some of them apply more to new grads, others are great skills to hone regardless of your age. Here are my top three favorites from his article:

1. Pursue your passions – this seems to be the quote of the year. I heard it at my commencement from both the keynote speaker (Steve Wozniak!) and our young alumna speaker (Brianna Keilar). They both stressed the importance of doing something you love and doing work that doesn’t feel like work. We’ve heard it all before: about how our generation has it tougher than ever when it comes to finding a job and how most graduates have come to settle for any job, much less fathom finding their “dream job.” But why settle for 8 hours of mediocrity a day? The mounting pressure to have a job secured by the end of graduation often means graduates aren’t finding jobs that they love, but instead, jobs they qualify for. The bottom line is, time isn’t the problem anymore. Spend the time to find what you love and work won’t be work.

2. Take care of yourself – I’ve never had much trouble with my health in terms of weight and exercise. In high school, I was part of a competitive dance group and we practice 10 or more hours a week. In college, I was again part of the dance team so I had my exercise taken care of for me. After the dance team season ended my senior year, my lifestyle became instantaneously more sedentary. I have, however, discovered yoga and running and of course Lululemon, and so I now have to be the scheduler of my own exercise regime. I’ve never had much freedom in my workout regime and it’s both daunting and thrilling. Taking care of yourself is key because without a strong bill of health, you can’t work to your full potential and it’s often a piece of advice that is overlooked.

3. Write – “Writing is a lost art - and the truth is, no matter what your job, industry or career, it's beneficial to become a better writer.” As I’m writing this blog post, I’m coming to realize how much I love writing. It’s been easier writing almost 500 words in this instance than some of my papers in college. In a letter I wrote to myself at the end of my senior year in high school, I emphatically stated that I loved writing. After taking a few classes in college, I really struggled with certain paper topics and it was mostly because I couldn’t immerse myself in the topic. But when I took a class on southeast Asian politics, those papers came so easily to me. Five pages took me maybe 5 hours time and I wanted to sit and edit it all day. I guess writing goes back to pursuing your passions. If you love what you’re writing about, it’s not hard at all.

Those were my favorite pieces of advice from Dave Kerpern’s article. What about yours?

Not only am I blogging more, I'm also going to attempt to sharpen my Photoshop skills. So bear with me.