My Leaders

Being a leader to me doesn't just mean being the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or the Federal Reserve Chairman or even the mayor of New York. Being a leader, to me, simply means standing up for your values and what you believe in. Growing up, my leaders were the kids that stood up to the bullies on the school bus, the kids that sat with those who had no one to sit with in the cafeteria at lunch time, and the teachers that made an effort to know each and every one of their students personally. As an adult, the leaders in my life are the loyal friends that stand up for me, my peers that fight hard for their grades, and my employers and professors that are trying to feed me as much knowledge as possible. I value and look up to these everyday people, who are the leaders that make a difference in my life. I am grateful for them, for they are the ones that inspire me to be a leader as well.

Developer

Throughout my life, I've always thrived on encouraging and inspiring others, and I've always naturally taken on the "mentor" role. I've had a knack for seeing the best in people and recognizing their talents and their strengths.

An example of this was when I was a financial representative at Northwestern Mutual from 2007-2008. I met multiple people everyday, and ended up creating long-term relationships with these clients. In order for them to be open about their finances, they had to feel comfortable around me and more importantly, they had to trust me. Half of my time was spent just talking to the client and getting to know them.
One day, I met with a client for lunch at Panera. He talked all about his current situation at work, and mentioned that he was looking for something new. The more we talked, the more I realized that he was a great fit for the company I worked for, Northwestern Mutual. I mentioned it to my boss and he went in for an interview the next week. He ended up getting the job and he became one of the top sellers within the company in less than a couple months!

As a result of my strengths of being a developer, I've allowed people to recognize their potential and channel their talents to the best of their abilities.

Life After College?

Hard to believe that college actually does end, and there really is life after school. Although I've had four years of living in what sometimes feels like a bubble, I've been preparing for this new chapter in my life for a long time now; actually my whole life, now that I think about it. I've been going to school since I was three and now that I am twenty-two, I am using all of my years of education to find a job that highlights my skills and strengths.

I was never one of those people that knew exactly what they wanted to do from the age of twelve. Heck, I still don't know what I want to do or what I want to be. I hate when people ask me what my dream job is. Unless you want to hear me say a Grammy award-winning singer/actress, don't ask. I know that's not a realistic answer seeing as I have about as much musical talent as the chair I'm sitting in, but I just really don't know what I want as a career. How do we know what's going to make us happy for the rest of our lives at the mere age of twenty-two? Yes, I've had internships and I've realized one thing that I don't want to do, and that is sales. That's one area I can eliminate from my extensive job search, which now narrows it down to about 34576458 industries. Yikes.

I don't want to be that person that doesn't have a plan for themselves or doesn't know what they want out of life. I do have ambitions and goals, however they're more general than I'd like. I want to be happy, successful, and motivated. I just need to figure out the right job that will make these goals feasible!