Last week my friend Sam asked my roommate Katie and I an interesting question: at what point do you give up pursuing your dream career and start pursuing a job instead?

Sam graduated from a great college this May and has always wanted to be a reporter. Like most 2010 grads, she has had a tough time landing a full-time gig in her desired field despite numerous internships, awesome grades and tons of campus involvement.

Katie’s response to Sam’s question was, “You never have to give up pursuing your dream job, but you may have to take a different path than you imagined in getting there.”

My response was that you never have to give up your dream career, BUT you may have to pursue it as a hobby rather than as a full time job. And hopefully someday you can make that hobby into a career.

The answer to this question is, of course, different for everyone. If you’re a recent grad who has pondered giving up your dream career, my advice is to set a reasonable time period for yourself in which you will continue pursuing your dream career.  If after, say, 3 months you still do not have an offer, then start looking for a job- even if it is totally different than what you thought you’d be doing.  Never stop pursuing your passion (even while working full time, and even if you don’t get paid for it).

What would YOU tell Sam to do?

Should she keep holding out for a job as a reporter or should she switch gears and take an entry-level job doing something else?

It’s not as creepy as it sounds and a warrant was not put out on me.

I moved to New York because I wanted to be in magazines. Not just any old magazine, but teen magazines. After spending a few months going through HR totem poles I realized I needed a different approach.   So I sat down one day and thought, “who do I want to be?” “who has my dream job?”

I picked out two or three Editor in Chiefs and asked all of my family members and friends if they had any connection to these magazines. Boom. I got results. And 5 years later I’m still in touch with this Editor in Chief.

Meeting your CEO…

• Tell everyone you know what kind of company you want to work for. Lets say you’re dying to get into a top advertising agency. Chances are you will know someone who has a connection to the CEO.
• Your schedule is their schedule. Be flexible with the date and time. My EIC had to reschedule 3 times, but I just let her choose the date and cancelled whatever else I had planned.
• Know everything about them…Including their favorite cereal. Find out what their background is before going into the meeting. The obvious is the company website, but search for blogs and articles too.
• Dress the part. Obviously you don’t want to dress better than they do, but look like you belong at the company. You can do a little research online and see what types of outfits they’ve worn to functions. I made the mistake by dressing like a stuck up consultant. The EIC actually told me!

The meeting…

• Don’t huff and puff if they’re running an hour late. It happens. Suck it up. If you’re feeling bitter think about how long you would wait to meet a celebrity and hopefully that will help shake it off.
• Treat them like a celebrity. You know this from experience, but people love love love talking about themselves. Ask them how they got to where they are (even if you know) and what their advice is to you.
• Follow-up immediately after. Letters are out. Email is in. Send an email when you get home or from the corner Starbucks. Bring up 2 or 3 pieces of advice that they mentioned and how you look forward to applying it. End it with “I look forward to being in touch”, or something along those lines.
• Stay on their radar. This may not be applicable to all CEOs, but the EIC taught a 1-night class at the Learning Annex and I signed up for it immediately. Stay up to date with what your role model is doing.

Even if you’re not going in for a job, you’re making connections. I didn’t get a job with this magazine, but the Editor in Chief gave me the opportunity to pitch article ideas and sure enough I got to write an article for a hot teen magazine.

Sorry, Penelope.  I’m back.

My fellow career blogger friend  Nick Corcodilos pointed out a blog post written by Penelope Trunk that I couldn’t help but question and discuss here on Ms. Career Girl.  In the post, titled “Why Job Hoppers Make the Best Employees,” Penelope argues the following five points to be true:

1. Job hoppers have more intellectually rewarding careers.
2. Job hoppers have more stable careers.
3. Job hoppers are higher performers.
4. Job hoppers are more loyal.
5. Job hoppers are more emotionally mature.

Really Penelope?!  Do you REALLY believe these statements or was this another way to get more traffic back to your sites and be a career evangelist to lost recent grads?  Why should we believe you?  Or is it just easier to believe you so we don’t have to deal with difficult situations and never learn how to overcome adversity at work?

Nick Corcodilos and I have crossed paths over the last year many times.  Oddly enough, the topic of several of our conversations has been about Penelope Trunk’s odd career advice and strange personal branding strategies.  Well here we are again, looking at more bizarre career advice from the woman who founded my generations most popular career network, brazencareerist.com.  Thankfully companies, including Brazen, have teams of diverse staff- to balance out the outliers.

When reviewing the comments on Penelope’s post, I was surprised (and disappointed) to read that so many people were excited and completely on board with Penelope’s advice.  Groupthink, anyone?  Denial?

For the record, I am 25.  I am as Gen Y as it gets in many ways.  Like most people in my generation, I’m addicted to technology, I love feedback, I’m used to instant gratification.  I’m a bit impatient and I have both a day job and a “passion project.” I’m also a typical Gen Y’er in that since graduating from college four years ago, I have worked 3 different jobs: the first for 7 months, the second for almost 3 years and I started my current position (which is my favorite company thus far and my hopeful long-term landing pad!) 7 months ago.  Heck, it weirds me out but I realize that some may even consider ME a job hopper (even though I do not feel like one at all).

Do I think that having 3 jobs in 4 years is something to be proud of?  Not necesarily.  My job history is what it is, but by no means do I feel it makes me a “better, more loyal, higher performing or more emotionally mature” employee- HA!

In Nick’s recent blog post titled, Job Hopping: Career Crack for Losers, Nick offers some very different advice than Penelope does:

First, toss out your resume. Trash it yourself, before an employer trashes it for you. And I don’t mean you should get a better resume. I mean, Stop using a flyer that says KICK ME on it. Period. No resume. Search for a job strictly through personal referrals and face-to-face contacts which enable you to make your case before your butt is kicked into the can.

Second, find a place to work where you can stay put. Penelope Trunk – who tells you loyalty doesn’t matter and job hopping is good — is sticking a needle in your vein, pumping you full of happy juice, and leaving your career to die while she drives off to the bank to deposit the GoogleAds checks she collects for advertising career crack to confused GenY’s. Stay off the juice. Stay put. Establish a reputation. Then trade on it.

Thank you, Nick, for putting my thoughts into words without me having to do it first.  I really like your first point and think that is great advice for anyone, “job hopper” or not.

Of the 5 points in Penelope’s article, I see SOME truth to her first point: job hoppers have more intellectually rewarding careers.  Well, yeah, I guess, because they are constantly having to get re-trained, and re-acquainted with a company’s culture, procedures and politics.  Intellectually rewarding?  Maybe, for some.  For others?  Terrifying.

Let’s hear it people.

I don’t have to repeat the fact that Corporate America is not what it used to be.  Yes, I always say that everyone needs to create their own “career insurance policy.”  When debating with Gen X’ers and Boomers, I always remind them that Gen Y’ers have been through the crash of Enron, the wrath of September 11th,the fall of Lehman Brothers and a recession- we are scared to trust these institutions that were supposed to be the pillar of security and the foundation of “The American Dream.”

• What do you think: is job hopping career death or a career savior?
• How would you define a job hopper?
• Does Penelope really believe the stuff she “preaches” about?  Do you believe her?
• Would you switch companies every few years to get big raises if given the opportunity?
• Why should (and why do) twentysomethings listen to Penelope Trunk for career advice?

Today I had the chance to chat with the author of one of my favorite career books for college students and graduating seniors. Katharine Brooks is the author of “You Majored in What?!” and the Director of Liberal Arts Career Services at The University of Texas at Austin. If you haven’t picked up this book yet, please do. Whether you are struggling to find a job, are unsure of what you want to “do” after college or have a case of the post-college blues this book is relevant. Katharine’s views mirror mine in many ways. Please meet, Katharine Brooks!

What inspired you to write, “You Majored in What?”

As a liberal arts major myself I loved my education but was never quite sure how it “fit” in the workplace. Later on when I started working with liberal arts students at a college back East (Dickinson College) I realized that they had the same questions and challenges I did. So I set out on a mission to find a career system that would work for them– since the traditional linear (“major in accounting and become an accountant”) approach wasn’t helpful. It took a lot of trial and error with exercises, assessments, etc., but I finally figured out what seemed to work for many students. I started teaching my system in classes but couldn’t find a textbook that covered the material, so… I wrote the book!

Give us a brief explanation of chaos theory.

Chaos theory grew out of an effort to improve our ability to predict the weather. Ultimately, though, the scientists and mathematicians learned that weather is too complex a system to be able to predict with any reliability. There are too many intervening variables and things emerge. Same thing with careers– they, too, can be influenced by unexpected intervening variables (a bad economy for instance) that can throw off any “predicted” plans.

In a tough economy, how should students change their job search strategy?

I think you have to be more vigilant. You need to have the best possible marketing tools– a targeted resume (not a generic one you send to everyone); a well-written cover letter that specifically relates your skills and knowledge to the job; and great responses to interview questions. You need to have an open mind and be willing to take a less-than-perfect job, knowing that you will learn and you will parlay that opportunity into a better one.

How do you recommend students handle the common and irritating question, “What are you going to do with THAT major?!”

I tell them to read my book. (Just kidding!) I tell them that they need to be the ambassador for their degree– they need to think about why they chose it, why they like it, and (this is important) consider how what they have learned has changed the way they view things. I use the example of the movie “Good Will Hunting”– depending on your major, you might view the film from different angles. A psychology major might focus on the interactions with the therapist, an economics majors might notice the different social classes in Boston, an anthropology major might analyze the cultures in the film, etc. Your major can change the way you view political, personal, and other situations. Know that and be prepared to tell an employer why that perspective will benefit the organization.

What was your college major? And how did you end up in the role you are into today?

I started college as a music major– but then I discovered there were people with talent in that field. Actually, I liked music theory, harmony and counterpoint, but I realized early that I didn’t have the passion needed to succeed in that field. I played around with majors in English, psychology, and art history, but ultimately settled on sociology which was great because it applies to everything.

Here’s the quick version of my career path after college:

Human resources specialist in retail merchandising to social worker in an agency for the blind to grad student in rehabilitation counseling to school psychologist running a clinic at West Virginia University while getting a doctorate in Educational Psychology to counselor to college students to career services director and disability services coordinator at Dickinson College (also an Assoc Professor teaching film studies) to
Director of Liberal Arts Career Services at The University of Texas at Austin.

Give us one tip for life after college.

Don’t worry if you don’t know what you’re going to “do”– either with your major or with your career. If you can plan your career in advance, that’s great, but otherwise, just follow what looks interesting, and when something else sounds more interesting move to that. When you don’t like your job, learn what you can from it, and move on as soon as possible. Follow your interests and keep learning.

Why Networking is a Waste of Time for Some Grads.  Yep, it’s true.  Some recent grads are wasting their time.

Interview with Kerry Hannon, nationally acclaimed personal finance contributing editor and retirement correspondent for U.S. News & World Report and author of WHAT’S NEXT? Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job (comes out April 28).  Kerry talks about how you can find your dream job, shares tips for those who are searching and highlights the fact that most people find their passion during times of crisis and loss.

Do You Feel the Change? What’s the lifestyle of your dreams?  As the idea of job security is quickly becoming a myth, many people are joining the ranks of the independent entrepreneur.  Is this your dream?  What are you waiting for? What’s your plan?

The Death of the Verb, Rise of the Noun. Want a job? Why using words like, “manager, team player, marketing professional with 10 years experience” might be more effective than using words like, “managed, resolved and safeguarded.”

Three Awesome Ways To Do What You Love. Self explanatory.