Hustle, hustle then hustle some more is what we young people do in today’s society. You hear about it in hip-hop all the time. People hustle just to make a living. They sell drugs, sell their independent CDs and even work a dead-end job just to make ends meet.
But that mentality changes when it comes to education.
I am not pointing fingers at anyone. I too have put more effort into other things than school, but I have overcome that.
I remember the days when my best friend and I would hustle for dinner because we were broke. We would get approached by guys we wouldn’t normally talk to, but would do it anyway just to get dinner. We thought of it as survival of the fittest, and we were good at it.
Now that I am older and wiser, I appreciate the opportunities for experience that Florida A&M University has to offer.
I still have that hustle mentality, but I now use it toward my education.
The way I see it, if I can hustle for a meal, I can definitely hustle for my future. And with that point of view, I have built strong networking skills with which I made good relationships that will benefit me in the future.
It is sad for me to see my classmates who are very talented but don’t have the drive or ambition to hustle for their education.
I was at a journalism colloquium recently and discovered that a lot of my classmates have yet to find internships.
This makes me sad because that is what puts a person ahead of another when applying for the same job. FAMU offers students numerous opportunities which, unfortunately, too many students fail to take advantage of. We have the best college radio station and newspaper as well as various resources that are available to us.
Wake up, people!
Don’t wait until the last minute. Take advantage of your university. If you don’t hustle for your education, who will? There are a lot of talented people enrolled in FAMU and I would hate to see them failing to succeed.
Throughout my years here, I’ve learned many things. And regardless of your major or desired profession, these tips can be applied to any situation where you want to succeed.
Tip 1: Network like it’s your job. Sell yourself.
Tip 2: Try anything. Don’t be too picky.
Tip 3: Adopt a mentor.
Tip 4: Take advantage of FAMU and its resources.
Tip 5: Always stay current. Read, write and do everything.
If you are serious about your future then you will do whatever you have to do to get where you want to be. Hustle like your life depends on it.
Wendy Cadet is a senior public relations student from Miami. She can be reached at famuanopinions@hotmail.com