Are you street smart or school smart? What a dilemma. For me the transition from college to the world of work is something like awakening from being a bookworm, to learning the tricks of the trade.

When I was a kid, my mom would always say: "You need to excel in your studies so that you can become a professional and get a good job, break free from having to live the life that we have." So I did my best at school and everything was good, for the exception that when you take the step to go to college you do ponder about the great question that challenges your identity and your abilities: "What are my talents and which career should I choose?" This shakes you to your very core, your essence because it has to do with: "What I am really good at, so good I would love to dedicate my whole life doing it?"

I chose the career that appealed to me most, graduated and when I was ready to make the big jump, got disappointed. So disappointed I ended up in a job that has practically nothing to do with my career! I felt as if after spending practically 15 years of formal education and memorizing useless information, it actually didn't help me in getting my dream job. Let's face it, once out there competing with the working community you feel like you're Nemo, lost in a new world of wonders and dangers. You are not only competing with other freshly graduated colleagues but also with those who have actually been in the field, some for years and years. And as we know, theory and practice go hand in hand but they're not synonymous.

Everything however, is not lost. Breaking away from the idea that by obtaining your degree you are immediately crowned with a top position is the first step. This equips you with the humility to accept a job opportunity with great future prospects even though it is not what you think. You might need to curb that college graduate ego which assures you: "That's just petty stuff, you have a Master's Degree for God's sake, you can't just settle for any post, you studied all this time to become a CEO or at least a manager, not start from zero!"

After curbing that snobbish internal voice you will be free to look at the working arena with a new and refreshed perspective, like that of a child with a new toy. Yes, you have been equipped with loads of theory but now comes the most exciting part: you will start from zero. Without losing your perspective and your goals, you will start a journey. In the process you will keep an eye for every single detail, search every nook and cranny and accept any chore just because you want to equip yourself . With valuable experience that will go hand in hand with your theory in your pocket, you will be more prepared to climb up the corporate ladder.

Learn more about this author, Ana Choi.
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