I’d like to say that I had a grand plan, machinations and consulting experience leveraged into my first job. I’d love to tell an inspirational tale about how I raked my body over hot coals, calling out to THOOM, which ultimately prepared me for starting my career as a project manager. I’d say all these things in vivid detail, recounting interesting stories about myself, but these would all be boldfaced lies. I learned a lot in college and thought I’d share a couple of tips to living an uncommonly interesting life.
- Stop wasting time in classes. Learn the ins-and-outs of the syllabus, and rarely show up. Learn to learn independently. A lot of classes there’s no benefit to attending on a regular basis. Instead, try showing up to office hours and enjoy personalized attention and connections. No professor remembers everyone from a 300 person lecture for showing up. People do know the student who consistently shows up to pick arguments about what they’re interested in. This will also improve what you retain from class
- Get good grades (3.7 and higher). Poor grades can close a lot of doors.
- Don’t waste too much time partying. This kills motivation, intelligence, and wit. Alcohol and drugs can poison your life.
- Join something culty, and become a leader. I was involved in Students For Liberty in college, and it was a ton of fun. Besides making a bunch of friends and tons of connections, I also regularly traveled the country and internationally, and met loads of other self-motivated interesting people. Also, I built a lot of self-confidence canvassing, and getting comfortable getting yelled at by the loonies. Also, getting involved builds your credibility, and generally those heavily involved in leadership are likely to continue to get ahead. It helps that your peers are eager.
- Get in front of campus leaders any way possible, and be flexible. When I was running my free speech club, I often got into hot water, partially from the press relating to my organization. I got to know some of the high-ups at my college pretty quickly, and often had meetings with them. Once you start meeting with them directly, never criticize them publicly. A lot of what’s said behind closed doors relates to trust. Instead of being ideological, invest in relationships. These will pay dividends, especially since powerful people know other powerful people.
- Be bold! I cold-emailed a bunch of famous people. Most of them responded to me personally. There’s almost always no downside to shooting your shot.
- Be willing to learn publicly. I wrote often for my college’s paper, and was involved in the radio station on campus. This allowed me to improve my writing, and served as a way of getting my name in front of powerful people. You never know who’s reading or listening, and you can impress by being different.
Isadore Johnson's Website 