A Rowan Alum's Journey: Dues and Don'ts

By: Dan Linn

As a recent graduate I must admit a college degree is not what it used to be. If you think about the amount of people who actually attend college nowadays, I like to think of it as a rich man’s high school diploma. This is why now more than ever, it’s important to pay your dues.

Work rarely goes unpaid. Even if there is no monetary compensation for work rendered, a positive outlook could change the way you view time spent. With all the money invested in proving your mental merit, it seems silly to avoid getting your hands dirty in a real world setting.

As an unemployed college grad (and by unemployed I mean a 9-5 job that does not include pushing papers at a nursing home) I fully expect my first real professional assignment to go unpaid.

*Cliché Alert!* With the economy in the state it is today, I’ve come to two realizations:

1: I have a powerful urge to strangle a banker.

2: I don't see my job hunt going far in the future without showcasing my abilities pro bono now. (That's bono, not Bono.)

If you see your future consisting of an office job, please get in an office right away. Even if it’s just secretarial work, an office setting tends to require a certain amount of discipline and self awareness not instituted at a college level. In other words, get your frat humor and fart jokes out now, before you get the real job you’re looking for.

But if getting paid is your main objective out of college, please beware. Your chosen major brings both the highly credentialed and the barely legitimate. As a rule of thumb I am weary of any business that responds to my resume through email. This is a tell tale sign of a company looking to pray on the innocent and impressionable. Most of these companies (which shall remain nameless, for libel is no friend of mine) hide under a marketing alias. But all they really are is commission based door to door selling, with you the employee incurring most operating expenses.

In short, I have found marketing firms that change their names regularly, trying to hid or shake the bad image they so justly deserve. Research a potential employer thoroughly, being a member of the Better Business Bureau means nothing. If an employer actually uses that as its main selling point, I’d think twice.

Bottom line, in this big world the smallest oceans can make the biggest waves. Any work rendered now, may lead to an opportunity later. When professors tell you contributing to PRSSA is a great way to network, listen to them, last time I checked they have real jobs. Personally I viewed those speeches as I viewed my father telling me to wear a seat belt or the TV telling me to quit smoking, but in reality, I work with old people….so make your move.