In a rapidly changing economy, young people must create opportunities instead of waiting for them. Taking your career into your own hands is no longer optional. It’s essential.
By Mazzy Eckel, Young Adult Advisory Council Member
Key takeaways:
- Real-world experience matters more than titles and entrepreneurship builds both.
- Waiting for permission can hold you back; creating your own opportunity can move you forward.
- The Young Entrepreneur Academy (YEA) is designed to provide real-world entrepreneurship skills in a free, self-guided resource.
Let’s take it back to 2023. I was one year post undergrad, coming off my first internship. I had done everything “right.” I graduated college with a Political Science degree and a 3.6 GPA, yet I still didn’t have the polished, full-time job that college had promised.
I wasn’t inexperienced. I had years of marketing and campaign work under my belt from jobs throughout college. Still, application after application ended the same way. I was told I didn’t have enough experience for roles I was fully capable of doing.
Frustrated but determined, I sat down with a senior leader at an internship I had just wrapped up and told them I wanted more than another temporary role. They couldn’t offer me a full-time position, but they did something far more valuable. They connected me with clients who needed real communications support, where I was able to contribute as a true asset, not just an intern.
That’s when it clicked
If I was struggling to get hired, I could pivot and build something of my own! Within days, I was connected to multiple clients through my internship and had registered my own LLC, a process that turned out to be far simpler than I expected.
I launched Eckel Brand Management, a freelance digital strategy business specializing in small businesses, nonprofits, and political campaigns. At the time, I was figuring things out as I went and had no real roadmap. But for the first time, I felt a deep sense of pride. My future was in my hands, not at the mercy of a volatile job market. Starting my own business three years ago not only helped me build real-world skills but also gave me the experience I needed to strengthen my resume and create new opportunities.
The more you know
If I had access to the Young Entrepreneurship Academy (YEA), I might have avoided many of the potholes that come with being a new business owner. I had the privilege of being involved with the Young Entrepreneur Academy (YEA) as a member of the Young Adult Advisory Council, where I helped to shape and create the program’s curriculum.
YEA provides young people and entrepreneurs with all the essential tools and knowledge needed to start their own businesses: from financial literacy and brand development to idea generation and wellbeing. YEA is a free, self-guided resource built with and for young adults.
Sometimes the path forward isn’t handed to you. Sometimes you have to build it yourself.
About YEA
The Young Entrepreneur Academy was developed in partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Washington State Employment Security Department, and the Young Adult Advisory Council.
Provide feedback and get involved
For questions or feedback on YEA or the WIOA Youth Program, please contact the Youth Initiatives Manager at ESDGPWorkforceInitiatives@ESD.WA.GOV.
Visit the Young Entrepreneur Academy (YEA).