"You can do it!"

Does anyone remember watching the 1997 US Olympic Gymnastics team? I remember watching them flip, cartwheel, and stick their way to the podium as gold medalists. I idolized their effort and determination to get to the top. I also remember hearing the coach, Béla Károlyi urging on the sidelines, "You can do it! You can do it!" (except with the accent, it was more "You con dooo et!"). And he was right, they most certainly did. To this day, I still use this line with a smile when encouraging others, and even myself.

So why this walk down Olympic memory lane? During these couple months (when I haven't been blogging, tsk tsk), I have been applying and interviewing for jobs back in the U.P. of Michigan. I've left the interviews feeling like everything went well, but I can't help but get the notion that the person behind the desk thought I was too young. This inkling may make the potential employer feel as though youth translates into inexperienced, naive and just a baby-faced punk looking for a job. Let's face it, I'm not even a quarter through my life, but that doesn't mean I'm not qualified. I might be young, but I've got a lot of energy and heart, and that's just as good as having a few more years tacked on to my life.

So for my fellow young recent grads or soon-to-be grads who are experiencing similar situations: YOU CON DOOO ET! Don't leave that interview without stressing that point! If you have the knowledge, skills and gumption, anything is possible. We may be young, but we can get the job done and get it done well. If you truly believe this, then say so. Your future employers won't know unless you tell them. Now, let's go take the world by storm, shall we?