Every year, Hofstra’s chapter of Her Campus hosts a Dream Job Panel where they invite young communications and entertainment professionals to speak to students about how they obtained their dream jobs.
Her Campus is an international online magazine geared toward collegiate women. The outlet has many chapters that are run by hundreds of college students.
This year’s panel discussion took place on Thursday, April 25, in Breslin Hall and featured three panelists: Naledi Ushe, a digital writer at OK! Magazine; Serena Kerrigan, a host and producer at digital media company Refinery29; and Emily Miethner, the founder and CEO of FindSpark – a job search and networking site geared toward young people.
The panel was moderated by Her Campus Hofstra’s co-presidents, Sarah Hanlon and Abby Strusowski – both senior journalism majors. Hanlon and Strusowski posed questions to the panelists and then allowed audience members to ask questions as well.
The speakers touched on a wide range of topics such as their current jobs, internships and other experiences during their college years that helped prepare them for those jobs. They also offered advice to students, revealing some of their biggest career mistakes.
The panel addressed timely concerns of upperclassmen regarding their first jobs after college.
“You start to learn so much about yourself – don’t put so much pressure on that first job because you’re going to learn what you like and what you don’t like,” Kerrigan said. “You’re constantly learning and trying things out.”
Ushe, a former Hofstra student and vice president of the University’s chapter of Her Campus, attended the inaugural Dream Job Panel while she was a student. “To come and share my story … [It] was really important for me to pay it forward,” Ushe said.
“I personally love the Dream Job Panel,” said Maddie Merinuk, the secretary of Her Campus Hofstra and a sophomore journalism major. “It’s my favorite event that Her Campus puts on and every year. We get amazing panelists to come speak and give advice.”
Despite the fact that the panel was called a Dream Job Panel, two of the three panelists said they did not actually have their dream jobs.
“I’m not at my dream job yet,” Ushe said. “I’m so early in my career – I definitely think I got super lucky with where I am, but I still want to keep driving forward.”
“I’m not at my dream job because I’m 25 and I have so many more things I want to accomplish in my life,” Kerrigan said. “I want to start my own company and … [a] podcast. I want to do so much more, but I would have never known that … a couple years ago.”
While the panelists believed students should always strive for their dream job, they also advised them to be open to other opportunities that may serve as stepping stones to their dream jobs.
The panel stressed that students should not expect their dream jobs immediately. “Give yourself time,” Kerrigan said. “[With] everyone we know that’s successful, it did not happen overnight.”
