Peggy – Penn & Beyond

How Will You Lead the Way to Make a Difference?

By Peggy Curchack

We hear from so many of you that it’s really important to you to “make a difference” or “have influence.” But what does this really mean? And how do you get there?

Some of us get our greatest satisfaction from having very immediate impact on people: doctors, lawyers, counselors, financial advisers, nurses, teachers, and all manner of artists – get to be there for the “that was spectacular” or the “aha” moment, or the “thank you, that makes me feel better.” We often see the result of our work quickly – in the reactions of our students, audiences, or clients.

Others want to have more influence on the “big picture” – we make our mark by being in positions to cause change to happen. CEOs, Executive Directors of non-profits (like Penn), the Chairman of Walt Disney Studios (Penn alum Rich Ross!) – people in charge of departments or functions – get satisfaction from being in a position to steer an organization or influence outcomes. Rather than working directly with a client (or audience or student), the work generally involves overseeing the work of others, planning, making key decisions.

The point is to play to your talents, and figure out what provides you with the most satisfaction. This may change over the course of your career. You may start out as a teacher, and end up as a Superintendent of Schools, or you may start out as a doctor, and end up as a medical administrator. Or, you can go the other way: at some point in your life you may find that managing is less gratifying than providing direct service. Lots of academics, for example, start out in and ultimately return to the classroom, after serving in Congress, in the Foreign Service, as Provosts or even Presidents.

For those of you who are in the process of trying to decide how you want to make a different, visit our Career Exploration page for advice and resources for assessing your values, strengths, and skills and figuring out which careers might be a good fit for you. And visit our Networking and Mentoring page to connect with alumni who can guide and inspire you.

Visions of sugarplums… For December grads and alumni

To the tune of White Christmas…

I’m dreaming of a job market,
Just like the ones I used to know.

Where the postings glisten,
Employers listen,
To hear – all I have to show.

I’m dreaming of a job market,
With every letter that I write –
May you find me merry, and bright,
And may you, please, hire me tonight.

All of us in Career Services send our sincerest congratulations on your graduation! We know that these are anxious times, but we want to reassure you that Career Services is available to you. Did you know that as an alum, virtually all of our services are available to you? Here’s a list of services that you can use whenever you need them – right now, or in the future. You are welcome to:

1 – Make an appointment with a counselor (in person, or on the phone) to talk over career issues;

2 – Talk with a graduate study advisor whenever you are thinking about getting an additional degree;

3 – Send in a resume, cover letter, personal statement or other graduate school essay for critique;

4 – Obtain a lifetime @alumni.upenn.edu University of Pennsylvania e-mail address go www.alumni.upenn.edu to and click on “Quakernet” for complete information.

5 – Attend most Career Fairs, Graduate School presentations, and any other workshops, seminars or presentations offered through Career Services – our Spring Career Fair is coming up in Feb!;

6 – Join the Career Services “LinkedIn” group and follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

7 – Access PennLink where we post individual job announcements we receive from employers;

8 – Sign up for one of our many alumni e-mail job posting lists (yeah – more e-mail from Career Services!). For complete information, check our Web site for your school;

9 – Access our extensive on-line job subscriptions through the Career Services library – and click on “on-line subscriptions”; (note: these are different from PennLink listings)

10 – Connect with Penn alums through the Penn Alumni Career Network (PACNet).

11 – Continue your personal career exploration through the “Career Exploration” section of our Web site. For a modest fee, a Career Counselor will critique career inventories (Myers-Briggs and Strong) for you;

12 – Use On-Campus Recruiting for one semester/year after your graduation. NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE IN PHILADLEPHIA AND AVAILABLE TO COME TO INTERVIEW.

ONE FINAL WORD: remember your Pennkey and Password – since you’ll need them to get into our protected job sites!

From all of us in Career Services: congratulations, have a very happy holiday and wonderful 2011! And let us know if you need our assistance – we’re here to help.

What Am I Worth?

by Peggy Curchack

Here’s a question I received from a student a while back: “Should I be willing to take a job for $25,000? Isn’t that like insulting me, or inappropriate since I have a Penn degree?”

I see two different issues here: one is “what is a reasonable salary?” The other: “doesn’t the fact that I have a degree from Penn enhance my worth?” In this blog, I’ll address the salary issue. Stay tuned for another blog about the “worth” of a Penn degree.

I maintain that no salary is insulting if it is within the boundaries of the industry standards. Some fields traditionally have paid well (i-banking, consulting), others pay middling (web development, economic research), others pay terribly (women’s shelters, arts organizations, entry-level positions at ad agencies). The fact that some of your classmates will be offered $60,000 in one industry doesn’t mean you’ve been dissed if you get offered $30,000 to teach in a private school – and take it!

It’s regrettable that there isn’t greater equity among salaries paid in different fields (or, at least, I think it’s regrettable), but that’s reality.

And while many of you have come to enjoy a level of comfort that you’d like to maintain, think hard about what you really need to be fulfilled and challenged. One’s earnings and one’s “worth” are often equated, but not for any good reasons. And certainly what you earn in your first job out of Penn is not what you’ll be earning forever and ever (though some fields never pay a lot). People who hate their jobs are unhappy people, no matter what they earn.

For the number of you with truly daunting loans to pay back: I wish I had simple words of wisdom, but I don’t. However, think hard about whether your life will be over if you don’t live in, let’s say, NY. A dollar goes way farther in Philly or Baltimore or Boulder than it does in Boston, SF, or NY.

The Walt Disney Company — ©Walt Disney Company

Finally, a personal belief: all kinds of people have ended up making good money doing things they are passionate about. I like to fantasize about Jim Henson coming home from the University of Maryland one weekend and, responding to his grandmother’s question “What are you going to do with your life?” saying “I’m going to make puppets”. If there is something you know you adore doing, and feel passionate about, do it – you might even find it remunerates better than you expect.