(http://devorahrose.com)
4 Ways Young Women Can Get Ahead in the New York City Business World
By Devorah Rose. Originally posted on Entrepreneur. (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297423) Women need to do more than lean in. Many young women dream of making it in New York City (https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/new-york-city), and it’s no surprise why. New York is a place where artists, entrepreneurs, intellectuals and bankers alike make their mark on the world. In other words: It’s a place a girl can come and make all of her dreams come true. The other side of that coin is that all of these ambitious dreamers are in constant competition. The threat of failing (https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/failure) or not being enough can be intimidating and overwhelming. Having lived in the city for twenty years, I’ve succeeded, failed and succeeded again a daunting number of times. My journey has thickened my skin and sharpened my senses — an education I could only have received in New York. Though institutional hurdles still exist for women in the workplace, I truly believe that dreaming is the rst step to achieving your own version of success. Here are four tips for ambitious women (http://entrepreneur.com/topic/women-entrepreneurs) who want to jumpstart their careers in New York City and other competitive business hubs.
1. Find your passion and embrace it. It takes time, but the rst step toward success is having a dream worth striving for and going all-in, even when there’s risk involved. I like to think of success as an accumulation of failure — the more you fail, the more likely you are to nally succeed once you try, try, try again. Women of all ages and levels of success su er from con dence issues. In fact, Meryl Streep, who holds the record (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Academy_Award_records) for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor, wrestles with herself even at the pinnacle of her career, “I say to myself, ‘I don’t know how to act — and why does anybody want to look at me on screen anymore?’ . . . Lots of actors feel that way. What gives you strength is also your weakness — your raging insecurity.” Next, stop underselling yourself. Women often tend to only apply to jobs they meet 100 percent quali cations for, while men will apply to jobs they don’t meet quali cations for. The Atlantic calls this the con dence gap (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-con dencegap/359815/), and whatever its cause, it can create distance between women and their goals. You must push past the days you feel down through action: applying to internships, jobs or showing up for that audition you don’t think you are the perfect t for. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You might not get the job? That’s not so bad — you weren’t going to get the job by not applying. At least when you apply, you can meet new people who could possibly open other doors while gaining experience in your industry of choice.
2. Have the right mindset and say “yes” to opportunities. The roadmap to a successful career is going to have plenty of bumps. In New York City, it’s not uncommon to live with multiple roommates in a room that was designed to be a closet (this is why I recommend having a die-hard dream you believe in and feel committed to). This city is not for the faint of heart, so you have to let the little things roll o your back. When it feels as if everything is going wrong and you are running on nothing but dreams and New York City electricity, you’ll have to laugh at the hurdles you face along the way. When you don’t let distractions stop you, it means you are focusing on your goals and refusing to be side tracked.