GETTING READY

THE SECRET FOR COLLEGE SUCESS

Two Young Pros share the Secret for College Success

By Brooke Pearl

Why are millions of graduates struggling to find a fulfilling career? This is the question 23-year-old Andrew Hewitt and 24-year-old Luc d’Abadie set out to answer in hopes of inspiring students to pursue careers with a purpose.

The two new grads recently launched a new book called The Power of Focus for College Students. They have the support of Donald Trump, who wrote the foreword for the book, and the backing of the international bestselling Power of Focus book series, which was co-authored by the founders of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and top business coach Les Hewitt. Andrew and Luc’s motivation came from wanting to help students discover theirpassion for a certain career path, while giving them success strategies for excelling in that career.

Just like the typical high school student, Andrew and Luc dreamed about the exciting college lifestyle that would eventually lead to the ultimate career. “If I go to a good school and get excellent grades then my success is guaranteed,” Andrew remembers thinking. “In no time, I’ll have a corner office, a cherry red Porsche, 2.5 kids and life will be good. I was obviously disillusioned.” Two years into their college journey, neither knew where they were going or what they wanted to do. They eventually became overwhelmed with stress and burned out. They both felt unbalanced and unclear about the future, even though they had near-perfect GPAs. “A Discover Your Passion 101 class was nowhere to be found on campus, and we were frustrated not to be learning about success in the classroom,” Luc says. One by one, they saw friends, who had already graduated and spent tens of thousands of dollars on top-notch schools, end up bored and unhappy with their career within months or even weeks. Andrew and Luc knew they were heading toward a future they didn’t want…and something needed to change.

Sophomore year in college, Andrew stumbled upon The Rocky Mountain Business conference in Jasper, Alberta. The event brought in a whole new spectrum of students who were leaders, had clear ideas of what they wanted to do later in life and were building relationships and networking. Not only were they working with recruiters and involved in every campus club imaginable, but they were having a ton of fun at the same time. The experience opened his eyes to the world outside the classroom. Instead of focusing on grades, he turned toward campus involvement (studying abroad, internships, etc.) and discovering a career he would love. Luc had a similar experience at his school, and in their final years of college, Andrew and Luc both applied this new approach. They developed pertinent skills employers were really looking for, and as a result, they graduated with numerous job offers, including many from Fortune 500 companies. Although friends and family thought they were crazy, they turned down the job offers to follow their own dreams. The decision paid off as they quickly landed a major publishing contract to write The Power of Focus for College Students.

In preparation to write their new book, Andrew and Luc spent a year researching the challenges students face and determined what ultra-successful graduates had done that struggling grads didn’t know about. “We know it’s going to work for them because it worked for us and the hundreds of other students we have interviewed,” Andrew says. “It’s never too late to get that message,” Luc says. They compiled their findings with quotes, stories and cartoons, which now shape the pages of The Power of Focus for College Students. Here are some of their findings.

A 2004 study from the Roffey Park Research Foundation showed that approximately 70 percent of people were unhappy with their jobs and wanted more meaningful work. The two authors say this is what happens when a career is chosen based on the wrong criteria (i.e. money). Even though doctors earn higher salaries, they have the highest number of discontented people in their profession. A student must first discover who they are and what they enjoy doing before choosing their career path; those who don’t often become Boomerang kids. Boomerang kids are young adults who move back in with their parents after college and continue to live off the bank of Mom and Dad. Unfortunately, the number of Boomerang kids has almost doubled since the ‘70s, which is evidence that young people today are lacking the guidance they need to find true fulfillment in their work. With this book, Andrew and Luc want to help get these returnees off the couch and into a job that’s right for them.

Problems can start in high school when students narrow their choices to just one career option. It pigeon holes that student into a career they may later realize is not a good fit for them. Andrew and Luc encourage students to find out what they’re good at by keeping their options open. Statistics show that many students are hired for jobs unrelated to their college degree, and even though many people believe GPA is important, a study by Stanford found top-20 statistics listing grades as the 11th most important trait employers look for. In the year 2020, 80 percent of jobs will be entirely new anyway. The successful duo say only five to 10 percent of people actually follow their dreams, but when they do, success is achieved. While the book has brought much recognition to both Andrew and Luc, it isn’t their main priority. Their main concerns are helping students reach that ‘ah ha’ moment when reading the 250-page book and hearing all the different success stories their book has created. They say ultra-successful people including billionaires like Donald Trump and celebrities like Oprah all do what they do, and are successful, because they love it. What does that mean for a clueless high school or college student struggling to find a career they’ll love? “There isn’t one thing that a student will be passionate about,” Luc says. “The thought of finding a single passion is daunting for students. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack.” “By simply uncovering your values, interests, skills and ambitions and aligning them with your career, you ignite the emotion called passion,” Andrew says. To help in that discovery, they developed the Passion Puzzle™ (www.PassionPuzzle.com). It is a free online activity designed to help students find their passions by uncovering and piecing together their values, interests, skills and ambitions.

Throughout the rest of the book, students will find topics such as ‘how money works, how to manage it and how to make it work for you’ and ‘your journey to true satisfaction and fulfillment.’ You’ll also discover useful ways of overcoming procrastination and fear, while learning the ropes to network toward your dream job. Students who follow the strategies and connect the dots in their own Passion Puzzle™will learn to determine their own future and set their own goals.

As for future plans, the two will continue to share The Power of Focus message by speaking to high school and college students, running workshops for career centers and educators and through partnering with organizations interested in sponsoring their book, while also giving it as gifts to students. They were also recently asked by Mr. Trump to create career development products through Trump University. Their first product with him is a home study course called Start Right: How to Start a Great Career, which includes 3 CDs, an interactive discussion Web site and tele-seminars.

For more information on Andrew, Luc and their new book, visit their Web site at www.FocusedStudent.com in order to discover the passion in you.