My Heart is in the Work

(or alternately titled, One Reason Why Internships Are Great!)

By Christin

Last week was Spring Break for both Pitt and CMU, so I was off from both school and my internship for an entire week.  What in the world did I do with a whole week off you ask?  I wish I could tell you that I spent it in some warm, tropical location, sipping on frozen drinks with little umbrellas and getting a nice tan.  No such luck for this poor grad student.  However, between watching an entire season of Lost, baking delicious coconut macaroons, and briefly cheering on Pitt in the Big East Tournament, I had a lot of time to veg and think about things.

One thing I kept thinking about was how thankful I am to be doing a job which I enjoy.  I knew I enjoyed this internship, but it wasn’t until I got excited to come back after a week off that I realized it really is a great fit for me.  It’s a job that I can get excited about and really dedicate myself to.

This caused me to reflect on a quote from Carnegie Mellon’s namesake, Andrew Carnegie, who said (like this blog title) “My heart is in the work”.  Even a financial tycoon like Carnegie, who was surely raking in major dough, recognized the importance of enjoying what you do.  I would guess that it wasn’t all about the Benjamins for Carnegie.  And it really shouldn’t be for anyone.

Obviously one’s career is not the entirety of one’s life (though I suppose it definitely can be if you want it to), but we each will spend some 40-odd years in the working world.  That is a mighty long time to be working for the weekend.

Maybe I’m naïve.  After all, having graduated from undergrad only 2 years ago, I haven’t been working for very long.  But I’ve come in contact with people who love their jobs and those who don’t, as I’m sure we all have.  I’m convinced you should do something you enjoy and have passion for—something where you can put your heart into your work.

Now, you may not find what that is immediately, and my post may therefore be frustrating for you to read.  Rest assured that I am in the same boat, and some of what I am saying comes from a place of hope.  I’m still a student, and I am still trying to find a career where I can put my heart into my work.  This process certainly isn’t easy, but it’s worthwhile. 

And this is why I think internships are great—they allow you to try a certain job, gain valuable skills and experience, and see if you actually enjoy the work.  If you’re open and diligent, you’ll find something you enjoy.  You always have time to explore, try new things, and change direction.

Post-Spring Break Thoughts

by Jake

Pandora station: Copeland

We've entered the stretch run for the school year.  All that's left in each class is a final project.  The job search is in full swing with a dozen applications hitting the ethernet jungle this weekend.  Spring break is over, which means back to the grind, but it also means I'm only a couple months away from big changes.

The biggest decision when interviews and job offers come along will be whether I stay in Pittsburgh or leave for a city on my short-list (Boston, Philly, Seattle, Portland, Denver, and SoCal at the moment).  I've spent my whole life in Pittsburgh, which makes this an increasingly difficult decision.  Everything I know is here; my family, my friends, my church, my alma mater.  Looks like I should stay, but poetic justice has me leave. 

"Why on earth would I want to stay even longer?" my inner-artist asks.  Because it's safe?  That's a poor reason.  Because I want to develop the roots I've planted?  Getting better.  Because I love Pittsburgh?  Makes sense.

Who knows where I will have opportunities when graduation rolls around.  I'll be happy to get a few interviews and an offer or two.  Pittsburgh has a much lower cost-of-living than the other cities mentioned, which would be great for me to build up some savings and pay back loans for a few years before re-evaluating.  On the other hand, I'm young and not tied down to Pittsburgh, so now is probably the best time to leave.

I visited Seattle two summers ago, Philadelphia last semester, and Boston last week.  These are three great American cities for very different reasons.  They each offer different things that are attractive for the young, single, artful Christian male.  In a way, each city felt like home during the visit.  Each city offers a young, hip crowd of musicians and artists and beer-enthusiasts that I'd fit in with.  Each city would bring along a new, exciting adventure.  Each city would get me closer to the ocean.

Am I ready to start over?  I don't really know.  Sometimes I feel ready to try something new and different, sometimes I am terrified to leave what I love.  The best part of the whole equation is that I believe in a faith that tells me God has a plan.  He'll guide me to the decision and I can just be along for the ride.  This thought makes everything seem simpler, but taking the decision out of my hands is a scary thing.  You only live once, though, so we'd better make the most of it.

Career Detours

by Jake

Pandora station: The Format

There's a saying that I've heard from several of my Christian friends and that is "if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans".  Whether you believe in God or not, I feel like this statement can ring pretty true because our plans rarely work out the way they are supposed to. 

My high school self thought that I'd be married and working for ESPN by the time I was 26, but that clearly is not where I am in my journey!  This isn't to say that I am not accomplished because I did not realize these goals, but instead that through the different trials and turns in my life I have developed a new set of goals which may not even have everything to do with a career.

In our consultant meeting today one of my colleagues, Renee, brought a new Career Success Guide to our attention from our website, which deals with "bridge year" options (link coming soon).  These include a lot of short-term internships and jobs that give students experiences that may be related or unrelated to their field of study.  I jokingly said that I should look through these ideas for myself, until I realized that that wasn't such a crazy idea.  In the past week I have started looking at some alternative options with organizations I have a particular passion for.  Unfortunately the International Justice Mission and The Mentoring Project do not have paid internships and Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) doesn't seem to pay much to anyone who doesn't know some Korean.  Other options exist, though, and I have several of them spelled out on a sheet sitting in front of me.

There is a certain excitement that comes with being thrown off of your planned path.  For the Js out there (Judging, Myers-Briggs Type), having the structure of a plan is what helps you sleep at night.  For the Ps(Perceiving), though, your engine fires up when you hear of opportunities that are seemingly unrelated to your unintentional path. 

Dear Js: This is not a bad thing!  Keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground because opportunities are everywhere, you've just got to be ready to open the door when they come knockin'.

My advice is to give opportunities a shot.  There's always been a part of me that wants to give it all up, move to Asia, and do whatever I can to help shut down human trafficking.  This may not be a feasible option considering I don't have a lot of the qualifications for jobs that will let me do this and pay off my student loans, but you'd better believe I'll keep searching for ways to contribute. 

Until then, I'll work on doing my part to raise awareness in the States.  I don't really have a plan, but I've learned that making a plan isn't always the best use of time, anyways.  Right, ESPN?

Thinking like an Interviewer

by Christin

(Am I supposed to add a Pandora station, too?  Right now it's "Celtic Woman".  That's potentially a little bit embarassing..)

Lately, I've had interviewing on the brain.  This is almost certainly a result of spending at least 50% of my work time over the past two weeks doing interview-related things.  I participated in a few days of interviewing for new interns and student staff, gave a presentation on interviewing skills, met with students for mock interviews, and had Career Counseling Intern (henceforth referred to as CCI) training on interviewing.  It’s that time of the year, I suppose!

What is most interesting is that in most of these experiences I have been able to get a view from the “other side of the table”, if you will.  This opportunity has been incredibly enlightening and has given me a new perspective, both personally and professionally, on interviewing.

I always used to think I was a good interviewer.  I suppose that’s because almost all of the interviews I have had produced favorable results, and because I felt positively about them once they were over.  In fact, I distinctly remember a time when I told my college roommates, “I love interviewing!  It’s just like having a good conversation.” 

Not quite.

Contrary to popular belief (or maybe just my belief) interviewing is not a completely intuitive process.  While the interview is your opportunity to show the employer who you are as a person, there’s also a formula you ought to follow, and a way interviewers are looking for you to both act and answer questions.  You need to make them want YOU over all of the other applicants, and doing this takes a certain amount of preparation.  There are a number of things to consider, and it can seem bit overwhelming to think about!  Am I dressed right?  How is my body language?  Are my answers to their questions strong enough?  Am I really qualified for this job?  Do they like me?! 

Our Career Success Guide on Interviews has a lot of good information on how to approach interviewing.  However, the most important advice I can give would be to practice, practice, practice.  Get a list of common interview questions and literally write out your answers to them.  Practice those answers.  Know yourself and what points you will want to make about your strengths and successes ahead of time.  Know the company as well.  (Don’t just take a quick glance at their home page, either.  Do some thorough research!)  Doing this will cut down on a lot of that crazy pre-interview stress and anxiety.

I am not saying to be someone who you aren’t just to nail an interview.  Above all things, be yourself.  But be yourself in a professional manner.  Interviewers want to see the kind of person you will be when you come to work every morning!