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Biography : Vicki Salemi
Vicki Salemi is passionate about writing. As an accomplished freelance writer, author, editor, and blogger, nothing is more exciting to her than working on deadline creating a sparkling piece to inform and empower readers.
The author of The ABC's of College Life, a street-smart guide for students, is currently working on innovative book projects such as career empowerment for teen girls and women. In her corporate recruiting role she stays on the pulse of hot trends to spread the message to her core audience regarding the power of internships, work experience, networking, and negotiation (because we're so worth it!).
Vicki is a regular contributor to AOL Body regarding healthy living as well as ClassesUSA where her education and career pieces are syndicated to MSN, AOL, and news sites. As editorial director of CollegeRover.com, her creative vision culminates in monthly content for college bound students. Known as Vivacious Vicki on WomenforHire.com, she candidly blogs about career empowerment. A fashionista at heart, Vicki also covers the fashion industry, runway shows, celebrity interviews, and entertainment. Viva glam!
Her work has been published in various print publications and online portals in the US, Canada, and overseas such as The College Bound Network, Online Degrees Magazine, FastCompany.com, Inc.com, Factio Magazine, The Downtown Magazine Group, Time Out New York, The New York Daily News, Woman's Day, Latino University Magazine, Batanga Magazine, and many more.
Vicki earned her bachelor's degree from Lafayette College and her management certificate from Cornell University. She remains active with Lafayette's Alumni Association holding various offices such as board member of the Council of Lafayette Women. Vic lives in Manhattan where she blogs on her website, www.bigapplebytes.com. In her downtime the down-to-earth New Yorker enjoys Yankees baseball, traveling, and shopping for jewelry, purses, and yes - shoes.
Vic's Tips: It's time to dream BIG!
Thinking about a summer internship? Or launching your own t-shirt biz? Not sure about grad school after college? Check that, not sure what to study in college?
Look no further! With her know-how, experience, and overall enthusiasm Vicki knows a thing or two about careers and college, the steps necessary to take you where you want to go. By interviewing industry experts, college deans and administrators, small business owners, in particular successful women, Olympic athletes, celebrities, movie producers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, grad school students, single mothers - you name it - there is a common theme. They all had a dream. They all had to start somewhere. And they all realized the power to unleashing dreams is within our grasp!
Six steps to a cool career:
- Play.
One way to figure out what you want to do is to figure out what you don't want to do and have fun with it! How's that accomplished you ask? Well, you gotta explore and get out of your comfort zone. If you're a math genius, try a summer job at a local ad agency, typically for creative whizzes.
- Discover.
Be a reporter! Totally serious. Interview your parents friends, your neighbors, even your teachers. Ask them questions such as what do they like about their current job? If they could change one thing about their job, what would it be? Where did they start, what was their first job? (Ask them to dig deeper and dish!)
- Experience.
The best way to explore a career path is to experience it yourself. For instance, if you really enjoy writing then join the school newspaper staff. For instance, one of my high school teachers knew I absolutely loved to write so through her connections during my senior year I scored a weekly column writing gig at a local paper!
- Do your homework.
Figuring out what will make you happy (not what your parents/friends/peers/society says you should do) is based on when YOUR heart sings to you. The next step is researching salaries, education requirements, and various jobs within the industry. The government - go with me here, it's not as boring as it seems - has online information called the Occupational Outlook Handbook which lists various jobs and related career paths. If you like writing but don't want to do it hard core, there are jobs in other realms such as public relations, marketing, etc.
- Focus on the journey, not the destination.
A cool career isn't like ordering a caramel frappuccino at Starbucks where you get it within three minutes and know exactly what's in it. The recipe for a cool career can begin with knowing your final destination (ahem, doctor, lawyer, accountant...) as you'll backtrack for necessary schooling and required exams in each field. Or it can begin with small steps knowing what you don't want to do (process of elimination). Or simply realizing you absolutely love something such as art history and want to earn a graduate degree and then start from there. Everyone has to start somewhere!
- Enjoy the detours, getting lost, and finding your way back!
It's normal to change your career every now and then to spice things up. It's important to revel in the experiences, meet as many interesting people as possible (relationship-building is a valuable skill no matter what you do), and most of all, enjoy the ride.
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