Last week I attended a talk by Laura Rodriguez de Simons, who is a counselor who has committed her career to social work. The ideas and lessons I took away from the talk were entirely unexpected and I am really grateful that I attended. The talk encompassed a wide array of topics from Laura’s educational background, to her career path, to social issues, to privacy in sexual assault protocol within the university, to how to build a career in non-profit social work.

The discussion about whether a career in non-profit social work was very educational. Some of the key things that Laura emphasized was that anyone who wants to go into non-profit or advocacy needs to care a lot about serving others, because at the end of the day, it is a career that tests your selflessness. A lot of us students want to better the planet some way or the other, but Laura made it a good point that advocacy may not be right for everyone, and that people need to find their own medium.

Another idea that Laura emphasized was that if you want to go into non-profit, you have to avoid the logical, straightforward, sensible, and secure route, and follow your passion. You may not be financial secure, but if it truly your passion, you will thrive. Laura was actually following a very practical and secure path before she joined the non-profit industry. She got an MBA from a premiere university and was a very successful project manager in commercial real estate before she realized that was not where her passion lies.

Finally, she stated that it was very important to pursue things you care about and are curious about during your undergraduate years.