Liz Pessaran: Are Your Dreams Big Enough? (speaker)

Liz Pessaran standing outside of her office in the Albany campus Advising Center. Photo by: Samantha Guy

Finding a career path while keeping yourself out of debt as a college student may seem unrealistic. Liz Pessaran, one of the three Career and Employment Specialist resources on your LBCC Campus, let's us know that you are not alone.

Whether you’re new to the college experience, applying to graduate from LB, or even setting your sights on moving onto a four-year program, there’s one thing that no one tells: you aren’t the only one that doesn’t know exactly what career you want to be in -- and that it’s completely okay.

On Feb. 22 at 12:30 p.m., Pessaran borrowed Mark Weiss's psychology class to encourage and broaden student knowledge of the career resources at their disposal. Pessaran opened up her speech with a relatable biography about her long journey through many different schools, loans, and career searches, which ultimately guided her to Weiss's classroom.

One of the most discouraging things about being a college student is the fear of the unknown -- fear of failure in the career path that you spent all of your time and money on. “[Students] feel as though they failed but they just found out that it wasn’t for them,” said Pessaran.

The youngest of six kids, Pessaran began her long journey into her LBCC counseling career at a young age. “The reason I wanted to become a counselor especially at college level, and how I got into this environment, is because I felt like there was such a need. There is a need and a conversation needs to be had; if people are expecting 18-year-olds to know everything when they walk in this door, then we need to start teaching them their options.”

Pessaran started out knowing only that she wanted to help people, was a good listener, and loved making people smile, but her journey was long, defeating, and expensive.

The road was “bumpy,” said Pessaran, “I felt pressured for a timeline, so I didn’t want to switch around too much because I felt like, well I picked one [major] I need to stick with it and I need to just finish that because if I don’t finish it, I’ve let someone down [and] I’ve disappointed my parents.”

Pessaran switched her major more than a few times, ended up with so many credits that she was able to double major and get two bachelor's degrees, ultimately finding out that she wanted to switch fields -- again. So, Pessaran landed herself back in school, only this time going for her master's degree.

Back at it again, with so many interests, so many passions, and no direction or guidance, Pessaran felt as if she was only knocking at the door of defeat. “Another thing that discouraged me was honestly the people I was around, the environment and my friends. Some of my friends went straight out of high school to these big four year universities and they just looked so impressive.

I had taken my first year at a community college, I had changed my major like 17 times in the first six months,” she laughed. “I felt like if I tried to get help, that somehow I would just be weaker than just figuring it out on my own.”

Not only was she in an abundant amount of debt, but by trying out different jobs in her field she felt as if she kept coming to the conclusion that they might not be what she wanted as a career. Finally, Pessaran came across a teacher that was willing to mentor her and give her some direction. This led her to start asking questions, finally talking to a career counselor, and utilizing informational interviews, which landed her in her current career as a counselor which she absolutely loves.

Informational interviews are where students connect with an employer, either that they know or don’t know, that’s in a position that they desire. The student interviews them about their lives and their job with a list of questions provided by the career counselor, is able to absorb information, and get the answers to the questions that nobody tells you in a textbook.

“You’re constantly learning,” said Pessaran. “I learn something every single day as cliche as that sounds, I really do. I’m not an expert in anything -- I’m growing and life changes, the environment changes, you change with it. So [be] adaptable and not beat yourself up about it. If you make a mistake or if you suddenly feel like ‘this isn’t the path i want to go on’ - that’s okay.

It’s okay to stay true to yourself and communicate with somebody who genuinely cares, who’s going to support you and who’s going to help guide you so that you can make a transition and do the research to make sure you’re making the right transition.”

As a student, it’s okay to be petrified, it’s okay to fear the unknown, it’s okay to take interest in more than just one thing, and it’s okay to not know what you want to be yet. The only thing Pessaran asks is that you never stop dreaming. “Dream big,” she said. “Don’t ever stop yourself from dreaming big. The bigger you dream, the better. Don’t let anyone knock you down for your dreams.”

Pessaran and two other career and employment specialists are here to help and assist you through your journey of school and into your career path. “I want you to know that there’s people here that want to assist you,” she said. “People here want to help you figure out those steps -- it’s not a conversation that happens in a one-hour appointment. It’s a revolving door.

It’s a conversation you talk about, you go out, you explore, you try getting your hands dirty, and then you come back and say ‘That was not for me, that’s something I want to learn more about, or next' -- and then you do it again. Even if you try something new and you hate it, it was still worth it because you learned you don’t want to do that.”

Get in contact with a Career and Employment Specialist if you have any career-related questions: where to find scholarships, if your resumes needs tidying up, to test your interview skills, or even if you have no idea what you’re doing with your life. There are so many platforms and resources that can be utilized.

At a Glance

Pessaran is at the Linn Benton campus in the Advising Center in Takena Hall on Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Benton Center on Monday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 3p.m., and the Lebanon campus Tuesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can contact her via email at liz.pessaran@linnbenton.edu or by phone at (541) 917-4780.

“We can help you get those questions answered or get you connected to the right people who can answer them for you.”

Help with:

Utilizing resources

Resumes

Interview skills

Career assessments and tools

Getting connected to the right people

And much more!

Career and Employment Specialists:

Liz Pessaran

Email: liz.pessaran@linnbenton.edu

Marci Johnston

Email: marci.johnston@linnbenton.edu

Emily Dray

emily.dray@linnbenton.edu