A Weezer Concert Changed My Life

I’m a planner by nature. I have a spreadsheet for everything, and I mean everything.

So in high school, the college application process wasn’t any different. I planned every step. I knew where I wanted to go, how I was going to get there and my limitations. I thought I was being realistic when I didn’t want to apply to any “reach schools.”

One weekend, I went to a Weezer concert with a friend, and she brought a whole group of guys with her.

I was trying to focus on the music, but the boys kept babbling on about their friend who got kicked out for flashing the security guard. Later, with intense care and precision, they were doing a very advanced dance move called jumping up and down. During other times, they were wrestling on the grass. Don’t ask me why they were wrestling.

If I had rolled my eyes any more times, they probably would have gotten stuck in the back of my head.

Then one of the boys looked right at me.

I looked away and sang along to “Perfect Situation”, but my tactic didn’t work and he approached me.

We’ll call this guy Joe. Joe kept telling me about how he wanted to get a big American flag tattoo on his back. He also kept asking me questions to which I gave curt single sentence responses. The conversation turned to school.

“You’re really f***in’ smart,” he said after I gave him some details about my plans. You could consider my ego inflated. I told him about the schools I was applying to, and he looked confused.

“That’s it?”

I was offended. What did this guy know?

I wanted to say, “stick to wrestling, Joe. I know what I’m doing.”

I thought I was making a calculated decision by not applying to reach schools, but as it turns out, Joe was right. I was afraid of getting rejected.

So despite all my planning, I thought, “I’m just gonna go for it”, and I applied to UC Berkeley. This random guy, who I had zero respect for, incepted me with an idea that would change the rest of my life.

I went to Berkeley, and I loved it. My studies there helped pave the way to my job as a project manager at my favorite company.

I am so lucky to have met Joe, but for a while, I was also angry. Why hadn’t anyone else encouraged me to apply? Why was it that a random sweaty dude redirected the course of my entire life? But most of all, why hadn’t I encouraged myself to apply?

For one, I was scared. Another thing was I didn’t believe enough in myself, and a lack of confidence unfortunately isn’t uncommon for young women. Fortunately, I believed Joe when he said I could do it. I may not have accelerated my career as rapidly if I hadn’t.

So when somebody believes in you, believe them.

Sometimes though, not even one person will openly believe in you, and in those moments, it’s important to believe in yourself. So as you’re applying to jobs or schools, don’t expect your boyfriend or your mom or your teacher to suddenly see your spark. Don’t even let me try to convince you that you have it. You already know it’s there.

Rely on yourself and the light that’s inside you to encourage you to click that extra button or sign that extra paper. The worst that happens is the feeling of rejection, which, if harnessed, can be a powerful ally.

At the end of the day, only you can accelerate your career, and I wish that someone had told me that when I was younger. It is ok to apply to a school that might be just within your reach or a job that requires a bit more qualifications than you have. Harness any and all opportunities.

I now live in New York City and work at Disney, and it feels like I’m on an “Island in the Sun’’. Join me. Don’t forget the sunscreen!