What I Learned at Her Conference 2016

Her Conference 2016 took place on July 23-24 at the Covene Convention Center in New York City. There were inspiring panelists who worked in public relations, as editors or journalists, other well-known keynote speakers such as Ambassador Samantha Power; Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin; motivational speaker and former Bachelorette Andi Dorfman; and fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff. The conference had various panels and though I wanted to but couldn’t attend every single one, honestly, I think I chose well. These women were not just talking about job opportunities, building résumés and CVs, and how to get your dream job and succeed at it: they also shared little bits of advice and wisdom that were absolutely helpful and worth sharing.  

1. Failure is never final

You will fail many times in your life. Maybe you won’t get your dream job right away; you will have to climb a ladder. And even when you make it to where you want to be, things might go wrong; the important thing is that you never give up.

2. “Live a fearless life.” – Rebecca Minkoff

Learn from your mistakes, but don’t let fear keep you from doing what you want to do in life. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and work with what you’ve got. Never be afraid to try. Rebecca stated that if she could give one piece of advice, it would be to have as many well-rounded experiences as possible and to enjoy them instead of being afraid of failing.

3. Have the courage to ask for what you want out of your job

Women are often at a disadvantage in the workplace, what with dealing with rampant sexism and a wage gap that excludes us from equal pay, but that doesn’t mean that you should let people walk all over you. Stand up for yourself! If you deserve a raise or vacation days, don’t be afraid to ask for it.  If you want to do something different for your company, work hard, show them that you can do it, and ask for it.  

4. Acquire skills that can be useful for any job

    You may have goals and a dream job, but you don’t know where life might take you. Develop skills and learn about everything–you never know what can help you later in life!

The Her Campus UPRM on the first day of Her Conference. (From left to right, Geysel Gómez, Alanis Font, Claudia Irizarry, and Fabiola del Valle.

5. “See your limitations as something you can improve on.” -Andi Dorfman

If you’re not good at a specific task, see it as something you can work on and improve. As she said, “every struggle in life is an opportunity to better ourselves.”

6. “Forget about timelines–embrace change.”  -Andi Dorfman

Don’t live your life following a plan, or else you will miss out on many amazing things. Enjoy the journey! You might end up somewhere or doing something you never thought you would be doing, and it might be even better than you ever thought it would be (See #5). Andi said that if she had stuck to her timeline, she would’ve missed out on so many opportunities, and that we shouldn’t stick to a timeline either.

7. “The best career you can have is one that makes you happy.”  -Andi Dorfman

Don’t compare your life with other people’s. Success is something abstract; be happy by your own standards.

8. “Never quit on a bad day.” -Nastia Liukin

After a bad day it can feel so tempting to give up, but it’s just one day. If the good outweighs the bad, keep perservering.  You might be surprised about the good turn your life might take when you keep moving forward and don’t quit.

Part of the Her Campus UPRM Team, Alanis Font, Fabiola del Valle, Claudia Irizarry, and Geysel Gómez, with Her Campus founder and President Windsor Western (center).

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