Applicant #12: Michael Kostecki

Michael Kostecki is a 23-year-old from St. Louis.

Michael's video application:

Michael's current situation:

Hey! I am Mike Kostecki. I am currently a part time server at a local pizza place. I have been looking for full time employment for the last couple weeks with no luck. I'm also a musician in a locally signed punk rock band called Sink The Bismark.

Michael's blog post:

A freshman student entering college can be overwhelmed with their new surroundings. As a college graduate, I want to give advice to entering freshman on how they can make their college experience worthwhile. First and foremost: GET INVOLVED. This is especially important if you live on campus. Most colleges have an involvement fair where all the clubs recognized by the institution gather to recruit new students. This is a great time to put yourself out there and meet a variety of people. You should sign up for anything that interests you. You don’t have to join everything, but at least sign up to get information on the groups’ activities to have the ability to get involved. This is also a great way to get experience in your field of education. For example, I was majoring in audio production and wanted to become an audio engineer. I shadowed a fellow audio engineer who ran an open mic night on campus and then eventually took over t he audio for this event. Not only do these experiences look great on a resume but it can help you decide what path isn’t right for you. Involvement on campus ties into another important thing to keep in mind: NETWORKING. This might seem unimportant as a freshman, but this could mean getting a job right out of college. Currently, the job market isn’t doing to well and a college degree doesn’t hold as much value as it used to. If you can get your foot in the door at an employer before you even graduate by means of networking, it will take much of the weight after graduation off your shoulders. In addition, a freshman should get to know all of their teachers on a personal level. A teacher is a great reference on a resume and they are obviously experienced in the field and can give you a wealth of knowledge. My father always says, “PRIOR PROPER PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.” Keep this in mind during your college career, especially with your education path . Everyone tells you to pursue a job in a field that you love, which I completely agree with. However, you do have to make some sacrifices. You should make sure that a job you want as a freshman will be available and booming when you graduate. You wouldn’t want to go into compact disc research because in four years who knows if CD’s will even be around. Finally and equally important, HAVE FUN. These will be the best times of your life. Enjoy every minute of it but remember why you’re there.

Michael