In my first blog post, I explained that I didn’t really have a good idea of how I will start the search for my ideal career. I want to find a job that combines my love of the arts and working with people, but where does one find that after they graduate? One of the many opportunities with which Ingenuity has provided me is to sit down with the directors of each department to learn about their role in the non-profit and ask them any questions I have. The big takeaway for me was that each person had different pieces of equally valuable advice. So far, I have learned some important life skills from my time at Ingenuity:

1. Always ask questions. This could include asking for help on something, asking why something was done a certain way, or even asking to be apart of a committee that you feel passionate about. Sometimes things will happen if you just ask.

2. When applying for a job, figure out what you want to do and find the place that does it best. This will set you up for success in the field you are interested in. If you do this, you will know that you are going to make an impact on the community because the organization strives to do good work.
3. Have a plan and then do it. When you choose a job, think about how it could help you get to where you want to be two jobs from now. Planning in advance can really propel you on the path to the career you want.
4. Network, network, network. Everyone always says this, but it’s true. In order to know people who can help you at some point in the future you have to meet people, introduce yourself, and talk about your job for a little bit. Not too bad for the payoff that could come from just a simple business card exchange.
5. Be a sponge. Take in everything. See what the people around you are doing and how communicating, situations, and tasks are handled. Learn from these things. Also, ask for an explanation if something doesn’t make sense.
6. Funding is very important in the nonprofit world. Matching a donor’s passions to your organization’s needs is crucial. This, in turn, can be great advertising because your funders will be interested in talking to other people about what they have taken part in.
7. Step up, or step out. Demonstrate visibility in the workplace and don’t be a wallflower. Make thoughtful and respectful contributions no matter what position you have. Show up fully present each day because if you are not here to work hard and get the job done, someone else will.
8. Customer service skills can get you a long way. Knowing how to communicate and work with someone in a way that takes into consideration who they are and how they operate is very beneficial.
9. Expertise is created by hard work and creativity requires risks. From the beginning of time, people have been testing ideas and passing down what they discover. Someone might have more experience in a certain field than you, but they only got good at what they do from trying something out, failing, and coming up with a new plan that could potentially work better than the one before. Then it did. Sticking with it and working hard is a better strategy than luck — although a little luck doesn’t hurt either. Everything in the world was created by someone no smarter than you are. “It’s supposed to be inspirational and terrifying.”
10. Make sure that you are confident in the workplace. People who put you down are only projecting their insecurities onto you and it isn’t your job to carry their burden. If something is toxic, get out of there fast. 

You can see from this list that many different people took part in giving these pieces of advice. All of them are relevant in different ways, so I look forward to being able to look back on these ideas and connect them to my decisions, projects, and career goals in the future.