Ask Yourself: "What Would I Do for Free?"

May 30, 1994. The day I graduated from college. Lehigh University to be precise. Armed with an expensive piece of paper that said, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications those early days were tough for me like so many graduates now in 2014. I didn't plan for the end of my college career so when it finished it was like a short runway sneaking up on a Boeing 777 airplane moving at 500 miles per hour. In other words, little room to maneuver for a smooth takeoff.

The thing is, that rough takeoff prepared me for what careers are like: turbulent, fast and unpredictable. You have to learn as you move along at a rapid pace. If you're in the same setting as I was 20 years ago don't worry, it won't smooth out or slow down.

What if you are like I was and asking yourself, "what should I do with my life?"

I remember when I entered college, my late mother saying to me, "You go to school to learn how to think, not to get a job. When you graduate, just ask yourself, what would I do for free? The answer to that question is your passion and that's all you need to help guide you in your life."

My mom was right. When you follow money you won't find it. When you follow your passions by taking leaps of faith: excitement, interesting people and experiences will find you. The latter are more fun than the former because they last forever. So I ask all of you, what would you do for free? If you know, follow it because your gut instinct won't let you down and you've found your true calling. If you don't know the answer yet to this question don't worry. That's what living life is all about. #IfIWere22 again I wish that someone would have told me a few of these things. Life is a mystery. You don't have to have all the answers right here and now. Everyone who looks like they have it figured out really doesn't. Just remember, learning never really ends. Follow your passion and some of these other tips and enjoy the ride no matter how bumpy it gets.

1. That first job out of college at 22 you won't do forever, no less even in two years. The average career will require that you have over 15+ jobs in a 40 year period. So don't think that what you do right when you graduate you will be doing at 42. I've had almost 11 different jobs in ten different industries (radio broadcasting, DJ, hospitality, record industry, digital marketing, advertising, startup, social media, sole proprietor of my own agency, tech) over 20 years. Those who can learn, unlearn and relearn will thrive compared to those with a one-track career in mind. Technology will create and destroy many professions. Be prepared for ongoing disruption (turbulence).

2. If you don't show hunger and ambition at 22 for things that motivate you, what will make others think you will at 42? Some may frown on side projects and hobbies but to me that shows you have passion and interests outside of work. Which leads to point #3.

3. Curiosity is the number one trait I look for in people to join a team. Not skill set, not their social media acumen, not where they went to school. If you can't critically or creatively think, you're going to have a hard time whatever you decide to do. I demand my team to think on their feet with strategic ferocity ala the Socratic method. Business doesn't have time for "I'll check on that and get back to you in two days." Although your professors allowed you two weeks for that term paper, you have two hours to get ideas down on OneNote for how to plan a new product release.

4. Math makes order out of chaos. If you can boost any skill in your career, understand analytics and data and how it can be applied in your industry to reshape it.

5. There aren't many jobs where you do one thing. Everything is a hybrid now. Show people you can think and execute and produce and analyze and you'll get way more headhunters InMailing you on LinkedIn.

6. If you can't find a job start your own. I remember when I graduated bumming around for two years and then creating my first job. The thing is, no one really owes you anything in life just because you have earned a degree. This is sad but true. Use this as a motivator to change the world or prove others wrong about doubting your abilities. I still remember those first companies that denied me. I won't name them (many are bankrupt and out of business) but they still motivate me to this day because they overlooked what I was capable of doing, not what I could do at that moment. Being denied something you want to attain is one of the greatest disguised motivators in life.

7. Have empathy and humility. Latch yourself onto introverts or quiet creatives. Although they may be misunderstood, shy or outliers, they will change the business world. Middle manager alpha leaders may seem dominant and in command but are simply about maintaining the organizational status quo. People like this aren't even footnotes in history. Outliers always topple how we see and do business. You'll learn a lot from them.

8. Don't align yourself with office politics. You can't be objective if you're trying to kiss your way up a ladder. A bad idea is a bad idea. Push back and earn your wings showing others you can strategically think. I love when my team says an idea I have is "not good" or "terrible." It makes me realize they are not kissing up and want what's best for the business. Unfortunately, many do not. When you feel you know more than your boss, start looking for a new gig. You should never be the smartest person in the room. You won't learn anything in that environment.

9. Make friends with different people from different places and different walks of life than yours. Get out of the bubble. Work isn't just about the work but engagement. I love that I work with such a diverse group of people from all different walks of life from all different areas of the world. Ask about people's culture, their family, where they're from and how they got there. Ask them about a struggle they had to endure in life. Good leaders have empathy and will have gone through struggles and turbulence just like you. There's no better way to bond than sharing stories of overcoming personal hurdles.

10. When you're 42, be friendly to those new to the industry. You'll learn in different ways from those who are young and fresh to the workplace than those with 20 years of experience. If you can, mentor someone. You should always give back. Many of my mentors had good mentors themselves. Pay your knowledge forward.

Geoffrey Colon is a thought leader and Group Marketing Manager of Social Media at Microsoft. He likes to think that thinking is his commodity but you can't trade that on the NASDAQ (yet). Feel free to tweet to him @djgeoffe or find him in person in Bellevue, WA at the offices of Bing Ads discussing the future of work, communications, soccer and how his two daughters Olive and Matilda make him laugh. He's currently working on a side project that's EDM meets Soul Train for the 21st Century.