This weekend, I
had the opportunity to attend a conference on beef, sheep and swine care.
Through this I was given the chance to hear from many different speakers in the
ag industry. I also had the chance to talk with many of them in person. Some
were faculty here at Michigan State, while others were producers of the
different livestock. I was able to build a network with these people over the
weekend that will help with job or internships in the future. In addition, I
have learned so much in terms of where jobs in agriculture are going.
To start with
our keynote asked us the question: “what three things will define you in 20
years?” Though this was aimed at the middle school and high school students in
the room, it made me think. I will be almost forty years old at this time,
where do I want to be at this time in my life, the answer scared me because I
had no answer. As the keynote continued she gave examples of how our life paths
will not always be the clearest to us. This made me feel a bit better but at
the same time, being someone who has to have a clear plan, it frightens me.
However, one point the keynote made is our population is continuing to grow at
an outrageous rate. Somehow the ag industry is going to have to figure out how
to feed all these people. This means jobs in the agriculture field are only
going to increase and there will be the formation of new jobs. If you look back
twenty years ago this was a time when the world thought the cloning of sheep or
animals was the next big step in the world. Little did we know it was the
creation of the internet that would gear the future generation.
Between
technology and the new generation becoming a part of the agriculture world
there will be many new and creative ways to feed the world. This is important
because it allows for job security for those of us entering the field. With
college tuition the outrageous price it is important knowing there will be job
opportunities. The aspect of the job world though is that a lot of the times it
is all about who you know in the industry. Therefore, it is very important to
build contacts and network. That is why it is so important to get involved and
be active in taking advantage in opportunities that are presented to you in the
next four years. The key is to sell
yourself, as well. Through this workshop we had a leader come in and teach the
elevator speech. Even though I was a committee member who had to put this on, I
was advised to prepare one with the rest of the group. She also, explained to
me personally the importance of having a three-minute pitch about myself along
with my thirty second speech.
From this
weekend I learned though these next four years may be tough and confusing at
times. That is life sometimes we feel we are on a straight path to our dreams,
other times we are in a full wood amongst hundreds of trees. The important aspect
is to remember put yourself out there, do not burn too many bridges because you
never know when these connections will come in handy.
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