A mentor once said... by Justin

A mentor once said... by Justin - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

The best piece of educational advice I've ever received wasn't "go to school" or "keep a 4.0." Neither was it "graduate at the top of your class" or "land that full ride scholarship."

In fact, it wasn't even completely devoted to education however the underlying principle of what my mentor once told me six years ago has helped me navigate my professional and academic career. I met him in 2008 while I was an undergrad serving as a coaching intern and he was on the coaching staff at a well-known university.

It took him some five years to attain his professional position and he claimed that "every drop of blood, sweat and tears was worth it." Being relatively naive to the profession I merely thought that all you had to do was get a degree and find a job; surely, my naivete had lead me wrongly.

But to this day I still live by his motto. He said to me, "in order to be successful you have to live by one simple rule: who you know gets you the job, but it's your knowledge that keeps your job."

Although it may sound somewhat hackneyed, I have fully relished his advice. Since then, I've used graduate school as a platform to network and meet with potential employers. After all, where else is a better place to find people who know people within your anticipated profession other than college?

Yes, college is a place of learning, but who said that harnessing your networking skills isn't "learning?" Possessing the ability to work with people, build relationships, and foster a team-based environment are skills that every employer needs in an employee; of course, you must be successful at your core knowledge that you are studying, but what good is it to have book knowledge if you cannot apply it to a people-based dynamic?