Career counseling #4: Lisa

It`s 2015 and we`ve got a fresh start ahead.

For a first-in-the-year post, let`s take Lisa, Greg`s long lost love. I`m sure you all remember Greg.

Lisa majored in political science, with an emphasis on international relations. She hoped to get a job within the Parliament, a Ministry or something similar. She`s been unemployed since June 2013, when she graduated. In the past year and a half, she had some meaningless jobs, learned another language and thought about the future. She recently started a Masters` in political sciences abroad, with an emphasis on European affairs.

Lisa`s attitude, from my point of view, is one of denial. She thinks that, after her Master, she`ll get a job within a European institution and start of a fabulous career in politics.

This thing might happen. Who knows, perhaps she`ll get a job with a Member of the European Parliament, with an NGO in Brussels or even a lobbying firm.

But this will not happen if she keeps up with the way she builds her future. Education is not your winning card. There are thousands of fresh graduates looking for a job in any field of expertise, be it politics, engineering or agriculture. As a person without any experience and with a set of skills that everybody might have, you have to stand out of the crowd.

You have to look at the world as a true researcher would do it. See what hasn`t been done, try to do it and, even if you don`t succeed, share your trials with those that need to find out.

Your path to knowledge is proof of what you are capable of, proof of what makes you different. Read the books, change the content, not only the titles. Be ready to say NO where others have already said YES.

Lisa is still trying to learn this. She`s a YES (wo)man, but there`s a growing conscience inside her that might help her succeed.