20something profile: Luisa

This post was written by Luisa, who works with artificial intelligence and is a career coach:

Before graduating, I’d always thought I’d join one company and work my way to the top over the next two decades. The past few years could not have been more different. I’ve been a business analyst, a startup entrepreneur, an artificial intelligence analyst, and now a success coach.

I graduated in 2010 from Princeton with a degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Robotics. With a record of academic success under my belt, I fully expected to continue my success in the “real world.”

I could not have been more wrong.

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20something profile: Stephanie

This post was written by Stephanie, who wants to provide counseling for families and children:

Hello all! I’m here to share my 20something journey thus far. My name is Stephanie Graham. I graduated in December 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a psychologist. When I was young, I wanted to be a psychologist because it was seemed to be a very appealing and professional career, plus I heard they make good money. 😉 When I grew older, I realized I loved helping people and had a natural ability in listening to others. Ask any of my friends, and they will tell you that I have a very reliable set of ears and give pretty insightful advice.

20something profile: Brittany

This post was written by Brittany, who has traveled throughout the world:

What are your career aspirations, and what have you done to fulfill those aspirations?

My vision is to have the greatest positive impact on the world as possible, through business, writing, travel, education, and community engagement. With a holistic perspective of business, I am passionate about finding the intersection of business strategy and sustainability.

Through sustainability consulting, I have worked with Fortune 500 companies across industries, developing sustainability strategies and reports/communications, analyzing and benchmarking sustainability performance, and facilitating workshops and stakeholder engagement initiatives. I capture sustainability trends and best practices from client engagements through blog posts and articles on SustainGenuity and GreenBiz Shift Happens.

20something profile: Irina

This post was written by Irina, who works in finance and blogs about beauty:

Since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but before graduating school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So, I decided to go with the flow and applied to a technical university. In 2009 I graduated Engineering and Management in Telecommunications, but I was still not sure that this was what I wanted to do further in my life.

A couple of months later, I started my master’s degree, also in Telecommunications. At the beginning of 2012, I was done with my university, and I was still indecisive about my future. I was feeling like I failed big time.

20something profile: Sarah

This post was written by Sarah, who works in the biotech industry:

I graduated from UC Davis in 2009 with my BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. I chose that major not because I had a definite career path planned out after graduation but because it enthralled me. My choice in degree wasn’t a means to an end; it was an expression of my passion for biology.

People often ask me what I can do with that degree because it sounds so specific. And my answer to them is always anything. I personally have chosen to use it in my career path as a foundation for knowledge in a sales/marketing capacity within the biotech industry, but I could have chosen a myriad of other paths for myself.

20something profile: Roe

This post was written by Roe, a musician and songwriter:

Hi, I’m Roe. I’m an unemployed 24-year-old “adult” who unashamedly lives with my parents. I also take care of my grandmother who has a plethora of chronic ailments, while simultaneously striving to set a good example for my younger brother who’s still in high school. I’m also a songwriter.

I graduated Ramapo College of New Jersey in May of 2013 with a degree in Music, concentrating in Music Industry and Music Production and minoring in Information Systems — you know, for good measure.

20something profile: Emily

This post was written by Emily, a writer, blogger, and avid coffee drinker:

Most mornings I make myself some coffee, toast a bagel, and wonder what the heck I’m doing with my life. For someone who has settled into a comfortable home and a comfortable career, it sounds like an ideal morning. But for someone who still needs something to look forward to in the day? That’s all I live for.

I graduated this past June from Knox College in central Illinois — small, liberal arts, cornfields for miles — and studied English Literature with a minor in Religious Studies. Moving from my home in sunny, busy California to the countryside of Illinois was a big change, but it was a change I accepted wholeheartedly.

20something profile: Lauren

This post was written by Lauren, who runs a blog about 20-somethings:

As soon as I stepped on campus at Elon University, I knew that I wanted to be in the communications building soaking up wisdom and inspiration from the myriad of amazing professors with powerhouse résumés.

For me, the years flew by in a stream of lectures, weekends, friends, internships, and experiences. The day I graduated, I had a plan and was on my way to a flawless execution…until life happened.

20something profile: Kelsey

This post was written by Kelsey, who works at an environmental nonprofit:

In May 2012, I graduated with a major in Environmental Studies, a minor in Peace Studies, and no clarity on what my Life’s Work would look like. I felt helplessly pinned between three of my strongest passions — sustainability, spirituality, and creative writing — and I didn’t believe there was a place in the world for a multi-passionate person like me.

I started working at an environmental nonprofit two months after graduation, which was technically my goal all along, but feelings of incompleteness nagged at me. Visions of normalness and business suits danced in my head. Did starting my career in a cubicle mean I was letting my other creative dreams rot within me?

20something profile: Michael

This post was written by Michael, a fiction writer:

When I graduated high school, I was unsure of what I wanted to study. I liked foreign languages and linguistics. I liked reading too. But above all, I liked writing fiction, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else.

So, I took French and Italian, two languages I already had some experience in. I took German, something that had fascinated me for years. I also took courses in political science and Persian and astronomy. My philosophy for university was simple: study things that interest me, and the rest will sort itself out.