By Leah Kuhn

Across all of my classes, all of my professors seem to continually share the same piece of advice, “play the college student card.” If you’re scratching your head in confusion, don’t feel bad, I did the same thing. What they mean by that, is your time as a college student is brief but overflowing with opportunities and resources. Take advantage of them all. 

One of these many available resources is the opportunity to have a professional mentor. Although it might feel intimidating to approach someone and ask for wisdom or guiding advice, more often than not, they are not only willing to help but eager to do so. They remember what it felt like to be a college student, swimming in a sea of countless paths and opportunities, unsure what to go after, or how to do it. Here, I’ve highlighted three of the many reasons you should get a professional mentor. 

 

1. Multiply your network. Although it can feel tiresome to continually hear about the importance of building and maintaining your network, it is truly essential. Think about your professional network as a tree- each time you make a new connection you add a new branch, which could have 15 other small branches on it. Networking is not a process of addition, but of multiplication. The more connections you have the faster your network will grow. 

 

2. Learn their story. Most people do not have a perfectly straight line from graduation day to their dream job. As students, we oftentimes feel insecure about our aspirational uncertainties. Hearing the journey of someone standing where we might want to go encourages us to embrace our own story. 

 

3. Get the inside scoop. Oftentimes job descriptions or media portrayals of an industry do not show the full picture. The best way to learn the full truth, the good and the bad, about a job or career field is to talk with someone in the midst of it. This can help you to make a truly educated decision about the direction of your career. 

There really is no downside to having a professional mentor. Especially in times such as these, where uncertainty penetrates every decision, it can be exceedingly helpful to get some expert insight. If you are interested in getting connected with a professional mentor but are not sure how to go about it, reach out to learn more about the GROW mentorship program with Belmont’s chapter of PRSSA!

Leah Kuhn is a sophomore public relations major originally from the Chicago area. She is Belmont PRSSA’s current Vice President of Professional Development and formerly served as the chapter’s VP of Member Relations. To receive a GROW mentor, register to join Belmont University’s award wining PRSSA chapter and email Leah at leah.kuhn@pop.belmont.edu to receive a mentorship pairing.