Make Your 20s Count

Who Should Take This Course

The most important thing to do in your 20s is figure out where you fit in. You will make 85% of the major decisions in your life by age 35. And your earnings in the first 10 years of your working life will have an exponential impact on your earnings throughout the rest of your life. So act like your 20s matter, because if you act like they don’t, then they won’t matter.

To make the most of your 20s you need to make mistakes, because mistakes show that you’re moving forward and trying new things. But it’s important to make intentional mistakes. This means that you need to have goals and plans, and when they don’t work out, you make new goals and new plans. This four-day seminar will show you how to do that.

No matter where you are in your 20s, this course will help you focus on what’s important over the long run and what you can ignore. Some parts of adult life are totally stupid and made for blowing off. By the end of the course you’ll know which parts those are. And you won’t make the mistake of ignoring the important stuff.

Why You Should Take This Course

The biggest problem with the 20-something era is that whether you have a dream job or no job, you have the problem that you can’t get through your 30s and 40s doing what you did in your 20s. They trick is to take time in your 20s to do the things that will set you up for the rest of your life. So how do you do it? Quit lots of jobs, save very little money, and go to work late so you can lift weights at the gym. This is just a snippet of the counter-intuitive advice that will get you where you want to be by age 30.

Instructor

Penelope Trunk

Quistic is the fourth startup Penelope has founded. Earlier in her career she was a journalist syndicated by the New York Times and played professional beach volleyball. Inc. magazine called Penelope “the world’s most influential career coach.”

What People are Saying about this Course:

Every once in a while I'll come across a comment or blog post where you mention how worried you are that you're boring. In case you still think about that, rest assured that you're NOT boring. You're really awesome. I think it's amazing that you have all this insight AND you're good at sharing it with people who need it. I'm taking the Make Your 20s Count seminar; it's my fourth one with you and the green scene last night was one of my favorite sessions ever.

Samah M.

I took all the resume and cover letter advice that Penelope sent to us and I've already been contacted to go to the next level for the job I've applied for.

Emily M.

I've done other seminars with Penelope, and this one was my favorite, for sure.

Dee J.

Schedule

DAY ONE: FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU FIT IN THE WORK WORLD

Understand your personality. Personality type is so important when you’re choosing your career that all Fortune 500 companies use personality-type testing to make sure employees are in the right job. Career coach Penelope Trunk will show you how to understand your personality in a way that many people don’t get until later in their career. If you understand your type, you’ll understand which jobs you’ll be great at and which jobs will be fulfilling.
Create a shortlist of job types that will be right for you. It’s overwhelming to feel like you can do anything. The truth is that each of us will be rock stars at only a few things. Once you identify your strengths, the list of jobs you will like becomes much more clear. And this list will effectively guide all your decisions for most of your life. Part of living with intention in your 20s is having a clear vision for the type of life that will feel best to you.
Pick your location. Location is important at this time in your life. It determines lifestyle, the range of companies available to you and even who you marry. Understanding how location impacts your happiness levels and your career potential will enable you to confidently narrow the list of locations where you apply for jobs.

DAY TWO: GET A JOB EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE

Learn the secret language of resumes. Most people in their 20s have way better experience than they show on their resume. The language of resumes is one that makes any job sound important. Learn how to use this language so you’ll not only have a better resume, but also more self-confidence in what you’re worth to employers.
Turn a tiny network into a job. You probably feel like you don’t have a network. But you actually only need one or two well-employed people to help you get a job. Penelope will show you how to leverage your network by giving clear directions about what you want the person to do for you.
Skip entry-level jobs to make your job hunt easier. Often entry-level jobs are harder to get than jobs that require a few years experience. Penelope will show you how to skip entry-level jobs by writing a resume that looks like you’ve already done that type of work. If you’re applying for jobs that fit your personality type, the fact is that you already have done a lot of that type of work in your life. You just need to convey this on your resume.

DAY THREE: WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T GET THE JOB

Spot-check yourself. Usually there is a particular reason that you are not getting a job. You will learn how to tell if it’s your resume, your interview skills or the jobs you’re going after. The good news is that it’s never all three. So you can fix that one spot and then try again for better results. If you don’t have the job you want it’s probably because you are missing the zinger at the top of your resume that says you’re a perfect fit. Learn how to work backwards: figure out what your resume will need to say to get the job, create and do that work for yourself, then write your resume. Your resume will land you the job. At the same time, you will build an employment history by doing real and relevant work.
Start a company. The point of a company is not always to make money. Often, starting a company gives you the experience you need to get the job you want. Penelope will show you how to start a company overnight and have that company transform your resume. You’ll be blown away by how much you can accomplish on your way to landing a job.
Use your elevator pitch. Every time someone says, “So what are you doing now?” you have an opportunity to advertise yourself as a great employee. The answer you give is the way that you enable people to help you get the job you want. Learn how to craft the perfect answer so you convey yourself as excited and going places and full of possibilities.

DAY FOUR: BONUS

Penelope answers the most common questions on career management.