Thank You: Encouragement for Students

I remember my first semester of college, our class was being given a tour of the TV studio. This was at Delta College, a small community college in Saginaw, Michigan, where I'm originally from. Back then, I was working as a radio DJ, so the Broadcasting program seemed like a good fit for me - which is why I was being shown the TV studio. Next thing I know, my professor stops the tour and starts talking to another faculty member. The rest of us sort of scattered and looked at different things in the room. I walked by my professor, and I heard him say, "Did you see what just happened? They flew a plane into the World Trade Center"...

My road to graduation took a long time. In fact, when I finished my undergrad degree, the world was changing in a different way. I took a sales job (only thing I could find) in Rochester Hills, Michigan at an upscale fitness/resort club, and I figured things would be easy. I wasn't as tied into the news as I should've been, so I didn't realize how massive the housing crash was turning out to be. The auto industry was also tumbling hard, and I just happened to be in middle of it all because Rochester Hills is a very close suburb to Detroit. We were in an economic recession, and I was selling high-priced gym memberships to people that didn't have jobs anymore. How was I going to pay all those student loans?

I'm not here to preach about "how things used to be". Instead, I just want you to know that if anyone can make it through this tough situation, it's you. How do I know that? Years ago when I started working with students on their professional development, I learned that many of you are so much smarter and resilient than I was when I was in your shoes.

My promise to you is that these times will challenge you and force you to be creative and take the lead on getting things done. Those skills will come in handy later in life when you face other challenges - like starting a family, buying a home, moving out of state, changing jobs/careers, economic downturns, layoffs, and other things that will cause stress and mess with your mental health. Life doesn't exactly get "easier" when college ends. Instead, you'll face new situations that will test the skills you've been learning all along. My classes didn't teach me how to sell gym memberships in a recession, but somehow I figured it out enough to move forward.

You got this. And if you ever doubt that, just look to some of the staff members at your university that admire your efforts everyday. I know I speak for many when I say that we wouldn't be working at a university if we didn't get to work directly with students. You are a big source of the energy and motivation that keeps us young and seeing the world from a fresh point of view.

Thank you for that.

Jason Cirilo is a Career Development Specialist and Lecturer at the Naveen Jindal School of Management @ The University of Texas at Dallas. He serves students through classroom instruction, workshops, and one-on-one coaching sessions in order to share his knowledge of corporate recruiting strategy and professional development. Learn more at JasonCirilo.com