I nervously walked into the Pipe Dream “dungeon” four years ago and signed up to be a photographer. At the end of the semester, through a series of fortunate events, I became photo editor.
As a second-semester freshman photo editor, I was terribly inexperienced and under-qualified. But, with the help of a great staff and photographers, we made it work.
When the Pipe Dream website desperately needed a redesign, then-Editor-in-Chief Nate Fleming handed me the keys and gave me free reign. I was still inexperienced and under-qualified. But, once again, we made it work.
That summer I applied to 25 internships and was rejected from all but one. I’ll always be grateful to the engineers at WePay, a 50-person startup, who took a risk on me and taught me more in a summer than I learned in two years of classes.
Finally, for once in my life, I feel somewhat experienced and qualified to share some advice.
Before I go, I’ll leave you with three tips: join relevant clubs, work on side projects and surround yourself with great people.
Want to be a journalist? Join Pipe Dream. Want to be an EMT? Join Harpur’s Ferry. Got rejected? Take EMT classes, volunteer at another agency and apply again. Don’t let rejection discourage you. A little grit will carry you far.
Work on side projects. Please. Work on side projects. Make sure there’s something to separate you from 3,000 classmates once graduation rolls along. Graduation will creep up on you quicker than you can ever imagine.
Companies want to see what you learn outside the classroom. Want to be a software engineer? Create a startup, fail and repeat. Want to be a social media guru? Find a struggling local business and volunteer to run their social media. Measure the improvements and blog about the process. Do research and read. Always be creating.
Don’t take irrelevant jobs if you don’t need the money. Time spent on side projects will pay off tremendously in the long run.
Skipping grad school? Your GPA is probably less important than you think. The Googles and Facebooks of the world don’t care about your transcript. This is especially true when you compete against students from top universities around the world. Save some time for friends.
Most importantly: Surround yourself with great people. I’ve learned so much from my friends at Pipe Dream. Rob, you were the perfect news editor and taught me everything about journalism. Nate, thanks for all the trust and, as always, thanks for coming in! Jules, you’re insanely talented and deserve all the success.
The people at this University make it great and I’m so incredibly thankful. I won the housing lottery my freshman year and lived in the best suite on the best floor. Floor 1A, you made these four years incredible. The girls in Hughes: You’re all nuts but equally as great. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You all have a chance to do something great. Take this opportunity and run with it.
— Daniel O’Connor is a senior majoring in computer science and the founder of HackBU.