How I Found My Dream Career While Studying

I’d always stumble upon those quotes about finding what you love and then loving what you do, both personally and professionally. But what Bob Marley forgot to mention in his quote was setting some tips and tricks, tutorials or any piece of advice on how to get there. Here is how I found my dream career while studying!

Being accepted to a pretty renowned university in Europe and having the chance of doing what I thought I liked, was an easy way out of figuring my life out…until I had to give up on that opportunity and do the same thing at a university in Bucharest, a moment which corresponded with becoming a member in AIESEC. I had no expectations at that point, but I knew that there has to be more to that story.

At that moment I was 19, with few experiences, ambition and a nickname of a cartoon character. I thought I knew myself enough, that international relations are my thing, while I was still up to trying new things and mastering them.

So this is what I’ve been doing in the last year – experimenting! And it led me to so many questions and paths to explore.

Being in AIESEC helped me discover my core values.

I realized that I am good at Sales for example (and surprisingly like it!), that I am more extroverted when I’m around like-minded people, or that I can be more than a team-player, and actually lead a team to great results. I discovered that I enjoy taking responsibilities while being able to innovate the way we work.

During this year, I grew more than I ever did, not only personally, but also professionally. I discovered that I love to create inspiring stories and to share them with others, as this is what shapes the world we live in.

This also led me to Communication & Public Relations, something that I currently do in AIESEC.

My work in AIESEC actually made me realize that I want to pursue a future career in the PR field.

I discovered that I love learning, but more than this, I love helping others to learn. What tickles me is non-formal teaching, and I only realized this when my “pupils” from my experience as a volunteer told me that they never questioned some things, that they never knew how to face their struggles. They never really opened up or felt inspired to take action. This changed when I had delivered some workshops to them.

Now I’m still looking for ways to learn, to discover what will drive me in a future career. Until then, I am lucky enough to practice it through AIESEC.

I find Bob’s quote from the beginning inspiring, and what I discovered in the meantime is that volunteering can help you professionally more than any other thing. But this only happens when you’re volunteering for something you’re really passionate about.

This is a story by Iulia Cristian, Team Leader in AIESEC in Bucharest. Are you curious about what’s #behindthescenes of AIESEC? Stay tuned for more stories!

You can #JoinAIESEC here: join.aiesec.org.ro!