Rebecca Baldinger

Ever since I was young, people have always told me I was very motivated, and I am. I am very motivated. But at the same time, even though I was always very motivated, I tended to be rather negative and cynical when I was younger. Because of the motivation that I always had, which kind of makes up my foundation, I realized something has to change, because being negative isn't helping me. Probably around the time I got the job at LIU, I really started investing a lot of time into self-help, reading self-help books, watching videos, listening to podcasts. That has really changed my mindset. When I was going on those 60 interviews, I remember I told my mom, 'this is really challenging right now, but I feel like if there is a time for me to get denied from 60 jobs, this is the best time, because I never felt more mentally strong.' I would say that would contribute to my success, because I'm grateful for the whole timeline of how my mindset and how my goals have changed. If I weren't more negative about the world and in general and hard on myself, then I wouldn't have wanted to change and become a realistically positive person. I wouldn't have got to known all these platforms, and YouTubers, and self-help books. I absolutely can't believe that I get to identify as this person right now, but I'm so happy that I had my journey, and it's still going on. I know that no matter what happens, even if I go on 60 more school counselor interviews, I have the mental fortitude and the positive mindset to keep on going and to see the good in it.

The best career advice I've ever received came from my dad. Sometimes I get very caught up in the pay of the job, or comparing my role to that of others. My dad has always said that no matter where you are, or the money, or the position, or if you feel like it's not necessarily what you went to school for or whatever, everything is an experience. If you look at it that way, and it's like, this may not be the end, but it's part of the experience, and just invest your time with that mindset, then more things that are more in line with what you eventually want to do will manifest. It's so true, it's absolutely true. When I was in grad school, I was working at the front desk at the gym, and I felt a little embarrassed. I'm like, I have a degree, I'm working at the gym! And it ended up being one of my favorite roles, aside from working in education, because I kept that mindset, like, okay, this is an experience, I can network, I can talk with people. Really just kind of seeing the positive in everything that you do, even if it's not necessarily the end goal. I made so many great connections, and I had the best time. It's also a privilege to be able to work at any capacity. I know some people that are unemployed due to disability, so to be able to be out there and working, no matter what it is, you just have to keep that level of gratitude.

I would tell a young woman looking to get in the field to be the most authentic version of yourself, and don't be afraid to tap into your natural qualities and abilities. When I was in grad school, I had a professor who said, 'oh, when you interview, just be yourself.' I was paying all this money for grad school, and she's saying just be yourself? It did not sit well with me. I realized, okay, maybe there's some truth to it, but I don't think you should necessarily just be yourself and that's it. I think you should be the best, most authentic version of yourself. When you really realize who that person is, who the best, most authentic version of yourself is, then you can tap into the areas that align with that and work to improve it. For example, I'm a Type A person, and sometimes I thought that being Type B, being more relaxed, would serve me well. But no, there's nothing wrong with being Type A. I'm smart enough where I know how to tap into that appropriately, and I should absolutely do that. If I go on an interview and get feedback at the end and they say I'm nervous, then I know that's not the role for me, because that's how I present myself. I'm a nervous Type A person, but that's how I perform my best, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you do it appropriately.

I think the first thing that comes to mind is keeping up with the ever-changing mandates and standards. My mom is retiring this year. She was a health education teacher for 35 years, and one thing she always says is, only very recently, within the last decade, has she seen the most tumultuous changes. I think the state mandates and just the ever-changing culture of the world, keeping up with all of that - it's an exciting time with how much is happening between AI and all technology and items like that. But it also can be overwhelming, so I would say keeping up with all the changes of the world, technologically, politically, and be able to absorb all of that and come out with an opinion that allows you to express yourself in the most genuine way, so you can lead by example.