Making a big decision

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Making a big decision

Andrew M.
Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2008 · 68 posts · 3 votes

So this week I made a pretty big decision. I'm dropping out of college. I know not too many people would consider that a good thing but it was a descision I made intentionally for a lot of reasons.

The biggest reason I did this was so I could start saving up money. Now that my parents arent paying for my college they have agreed to cover my living expenses ( food and housing) for the next three years. This gives me an amazing oppurtunity to acumulate some savings over the next couple years. My plan is to work construction until I can find a job either as an intern for someone who invest or for a property management company. My goal is to have 40000 saved up by the end of this period. I have about 5000 so far. If i had stayed in college i would instead be way in debt.

The second part of this is that i found an investor looking for an intern on craigslist. I'm always skeptical of these types of things but all of his credentials check out and he isnt a guru or trying to sell me something so it seems like it could be an amazing oppurtunity.

My problem is that he wants a resume and i dont have much to put on one. I have a good internship with a financial company to put down and i could get a good reference but thats about it. Does anyone have any ideas about what i could put there or if it would be a good idea to just write an email about why i feel id be a good candidate even though i cant provide a great resume. Any ideas would be appreciated

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  • Account Closed
    Real Estate Investor · London · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 74 votes
    19y

    Ignoring the decisions process and focusing on your question.

    Put the facts on the resume. Do not lie or otherwise try to present something that will not stack up when checked. It is what it is. If you are young and have little experience then the reader should not be expecting much.

    Dropping out is a sign that you do not finish things. Hence you need to put your college history on the resume while still showing that you do not just bail when things are too much work. Try to present what you have accomplished (graduate from HS with X awards, captain of Y sport, founded and ran Z club). For college highlight the courses you completed if they are significant. Any jobs that show responsibility (assistant manager of the newsstand) helps. If you volunteer then make note of that.

    If the resume really is boring, lacks any sense of serious past activities then the message is to go get some. That way the resume will be better in 1-2 years.

    If you have a clear plan then stick to the plan even when others doubt it. Focus on getting to a goal before checking to see if you made the right decision. If you work in construction try to focus on roles where you will learn skills. Focus also on building a network of friends who are in the trades so you can call on them later when you need work done.

    Good luck.

    John Corey

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  • James M.
    Homeowner · Carrollton , AL · Member since 2008 · 138 posts · 11 votes
    18y

    I think you should write up a resume and send it to this person for two reasons: (1) if he asked for a resume and all you do in response is say you are very dedicated, it will probably raise a red flag to this employer / partner and (2) you could use your resume (even if you don't have much to say) as a nice tool to get you in for an interview.

    First thing you'll want to do is target the resume to the client. I've seen so many people use generic resume's for jobs that it's not even funny. At the top of your resume (after your name and contact information) you should have your Objective in a bold and noticeable font. Then to write your objective, get into the employer's head and figure out what an ideal candidate would have. You can figure this out by rewording what the craigslist ad said. Then under that, you can throw in a variety of things:

    - educational experience
    - traits that make you unique from other candidates
    - your talents that are affiliated with the job position
    - your work experience
    - any letters or recommendation (package them with the resume)
    - etc. etc.

    Also, to help give you a better advantage over any other propsects, go to your local office store and by a nice transparent folder and put your resume, cover letter, letters of recommendation, any articles you've been mentioned in, etc. right in it. This will add a look of professionalism to your resume, which can now be more considered as a portfolio. This will help impress this employer before he even reads your resume, which is never a bad thing.

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