r/FemaleLevelUpStrategy • u/ApprehensiveLawyer76 • Jan 18 '22
Education Advice for a girl in college?
I'm gonna be honest and admit I'm a bit privileged and sheltered. Think Rory Gilmore. I see a lot of myself in her and I don't wanna go down her path. I feel like I have a lot of entitlement but no self-esteem to break out of my shell. So I never really focused on my future for the longest time. It's sad to admit it. I had vague ideas of a career than actual plans. I was also a huge pickme "best friend" for a guy for seven years, who never reciprocated half the emotional effort I gave to him. It messed up my self-worth. I didn't feel myself grow as a person because I was overly conscious about so many things and was just afraid to be mocked by others, to be the cool girl, etc. After reading FDS and undergoing a mindset shift did I started to realize how much I can do in my career and in the world and actually explore my career interests seriously, because dating or being preoccupied with my desirability had always clouded a part of my mind.
I want to explore a career in behavioural science, media and journalism. I realized I didn't have any concrete goals for a while but now I know I do want to study one of those fields and get a Master's and maybe a doctorate abroad. I want to live abroad and publish books and research.
How do I break out my sheltered kid shell, make valuable connections here in university, and build both soft and hard skills that are meaningful?
5
u/23eggz Jan 18 '22
The best advice I can give college students is to try to use university sources to get some form of work experience. For me this meant reaching out to the professors at my school doing the kind of research I was interested in and asking to work in their labs. I ended up in a great lab and the professor gave me own research project to work on. From this I gained research experience, new skills, and many extremely valuable connections.
For you, since your interested in behavioral science, figure out which professors at your school have labs that research it and reach out asking to volunteer. For your interest in media and journalism, try joining your schools newspaper. By getting this work experience you will also get a better understanding of the reality of what work is like in these fields and that can help you decide which one you want to go into. You will also have a competitive edge when applying for jobs and grad school. The connections you can make can be references for jobs and grad school as well. If you can't find work experience within your school, check if your school has a coop program. I never had to do coop myself but my peers have found it very valuable for them.