Advice to the Class of 2021: Be a Little Cheugy, and Other Bits

Congratulations to the class of 2021! I know, people come out of the woodwork this time of year to give you all sorts of sage wisdom.
🙄. As cliche as some of it might be, I’ll throw my mortarboard into the ring and give you some advice that has served me well, particularly during the pandemic.

Ready?

1. It’s on you, boo — Listen, I know you want to hear that others have your back, yada yada yada — but that’s not really true. If anything over the past 2 years, I’ve been reminded that there are three people in charge of my own manifest destiny — me, myself, and I. This is not a selfish approach either. It’s actually a proactive approach to managing your best life. It means Y-O-U have to bring your big dreams to life. This means that you need to figure out Y-O-U, and what really matters to you. You have to let go of everyone else’s expectations of who you are, what you should do, and who you should be. Here’s the cliche — to thine own self be true. And only you know you, boo. So get clear on who you are and what you want and let the rest of the stuff go. Don’t wait for others to make it happen for you, either — you have to make it rain! I wrote my latest book, Punk Rock Pharmacy about this idea — that you have to DIY your career and life. We’re all DIY-ing it here.
2. Find a company to work for that shares your values — If I could only give you one piece of advice for this year, it’s this one…and nothing like a pandemic for everyone to really bring out their true colors. When interviewing, always ask about what an organization values. If they’re not similar to your own, and if you need to take the job, I get it — but don’t expect to stay there long term. If you need a job and can’t be picky, I get it. You at some point will be tested on your values. If you can’t get the organization to share its values — avoid them at all costs. That means they’ll be happy to try shady stuff potentially or do ‘whatever it takes’ to get clients/customers/gigs, including throwing you under the bus. I’ve worked for several of these companies, and I wound up miserable. Don’t be the younger me here. Be smart and ask about values. If they have none — run. Run and never look back.
3. Find sponsors — ladies, I need to especially talk to you about this one. Generally, everyone does a good job in locating mentors…but that’s not the same thing as a sponsor. A sponsor is someone at the organization you work for that will fight for you when you’re not in the room. Men are good at finding sponsors — women, not so much. So in addition to that cadre of mentors you’re looking out for, find a sponsor or two at work too.
4. Be a little cheugy —History often repeats itself. So, it’s okay to be a little cheugy. You’re going to find mentors that maybe don’t understand the time in your career + the current climate. What you have to do here is admire them for professionally growing up at another point in history, study what made them successful, and then see if there are ways to apply their best practices to these current times. That requires being a lover of history. I’ll admit it — I used to hate history. Who wants to talk about what’s already over and done and not focus on the future? But as I’ve aged, I’ve learned to appreciate the out-of-date, dusty, antique, or historical. I’m old-fashioned now and a bit cheugy — and proud of it. You should consider that as well.
5. Always level up — Everyone is expert at something else that you don’t know. Play a game with yourself to figure out what that is in each and every person you meet. A great question to ask others is, “What’s your jam? What are you into right now?” sit back, and take notes. If you’re in a room with people who all nerd out on what YOU nerd out on — you’re respectfully in the wrong room. Get out of that room and get into one where you can continue to be a student, which leads me to my last bit of advice here…
6. Just pretend you never left school — Just pretend you’re still in high school, or college, or grad school. Keep asking questions. Keep learning. The internet has given us so many free and low-cost ways to keep on learning too — even during the pandemic. You don’t have to go back to grad school to keep learning either. You can learn pretty much anything you want online, and in many instances for free. So, I create an annual learning plan for myself. Pretend you’re your own professor — do whatever it takes to constantly continue learning in order to remain in demand and relevant. In the past 2 years, I’ve completed 2 certifications and am working on a new certificate now. Never. Stop. Learning. Feed your curiosity. It will serve you well if nourished.

That’s all I’ve got post-pandemic. And, this is my best advice for this point in time and in history. Go out there and get to gettin’. We need you out here!

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Erin L. Albert is an author, inter alia. Opining is her own.