I’ve been having some great discussions, with students recently. Whether it’s from the RCA conference, online, at a local college, or just a simple coffee chat.

A lot of the talks remind me of myself in college. The person who did all of these clubs, had 2-3 jobs, and worried about each and every little thing that would deviate from my life.

In junior year, I had 2 jobs, got into nationals for 2 IFT product development competitions, in the leadership team of maybe 3 clubs and plenty more. My life consisted of waking up at 8am, being on campus all day, and then collapsing at 2am. then doing it over and over again.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, I miss these days.

Though I can’t go back in time and tell my past self what to do and what not to do, I see myself in the students who reach out. Or maybe I don’t because when I was a student, I was too scared to reach out and talk to people in the food industry. These students are better than me.

So for the student who is worrying about getting that officer position, or that other job, or wants to do something amazing with their life, this is for you.

People Need to Like You

There is only a small percentage of students who are overachievers. I would even argue that in the top colleges, there are the people who want to study or the people who want to party, but only a handful of students get fanatically involved.

With that small group of people, you might recall certain people who are stubborn, arrogant and vain, but because they are, they get far.

That was me freshman year. I was a terrible person and I’d argue I still am. But besides that point, I went far by stepping on people, showing no emotion.

Some people change, and some people don’t. The people who don’t, can still get far.

But I decided to change because it was the morally right thing to do and my life was generally improved. I think mean people generally think their life sucks.

You don’t have to be liked by everyone. I certainly don’t like everyone.  However, the majority has a common understanding of what is deemed likeable and what is not.

Being likeable make life so much more easier because you can convince people to jump on your cause. Being likeable amplifies your reputation in the long run.

Rejection and Outvoted

I was VP of the Food Science Club and was groomed to be president, but I got beat because I was really bad at public speaking. I tried again senior year but I admitted to the people voting that I would have to commit to a big project in Spring. I was outvoted both times and did not become Food Science President.

I was devastated because it’s a mixture of betrayal and a feeling that your life is over.

If you didn’t get to be president of this club, your life is over, right? You probably one have a chance to be president of a college club, I had two opportunities and lost both times.

At the moment, when college seems to be 4 years of life or death, it seems like all that matters is to get the most things under your belt and if you don’t get one thing, your life is ruined.

In most cases, opportunities of rejection allowed me to do things that made more impact. Because I didn’t get Food Science president, I could focus on another passion of mine: increasing the diversity on campus. I got the position alongside some amazing friends to run Polycultural Weekend, an event where 100’s of prospective students come and learn that though Cal Poly isn’t diverse on paper, it still has had a thriving multicultural community.

When faced with rejection and what you think of as betrayal, look at other opportunities to shine.

Do Something No-One Else Has Done

The more you do things no one else has done and do it over and over again, this develops a skill that will set you up for life.

I look back at the things I’ve helped create. A new club, a new event, introducing new things to old events, creating ebooks, getting polos for clubs, pioneering a summer program, asking for money to fund traveling or an event on diversity, winning product development competitions and entering entrepreneurial contests. These things built up over time little by little.

And by the time I was working, I now had money to help make bigger things come to life. I was addicted to creating value and now, I do it every single day in multiple different ways.

Most people “die” after school. No matter how ambitious you are in college, 99% of those ambitious people just get consumed in their company, never to be heard from again. They don’t volunteer, they don’t talk, some might even hate their job and just keep quiet for 20 years. Some climb the career ladder by focusing the same way they studied at school, put their head to the ground and just work. but now we live in an age where you don’t have to do that.

Yet the people who just focus on their careers aren’t all bad. A good career where only a few people know you might be just what you want. You can focus on friends, family, maybe have a family or something. Life is what you want to make of it. There is no wrong way to live life. We think as ambitious students, there is just one, unhealthy way to live, but once you get out to the workforce, you have a choice. And most choose the choice of not being ambitious anymore, because what’s the point? There’s no short-term goal anymore. There’s no piece of paper with a score >3.0 on it anymore to validate your worth.

For those that do choose to keep going after college, to be known to people, as an influencer in the industry, or at least strive to be one, it’s now easier than ever, but still difficult. There is still so much to learn after college because everything is available and you have all the time in the world. The only thing holding you back is the choice whether to pick up a book, or watch TV. And the second option is so much more enticing. It’s the easy way out.

I ask you to not let the ambition you have fizzle out and die after you graduate and keep going. Build something new and meaningful because now you can. And if you need help, we’re here for you.

Adam