Two Laurens and a Welcome to the Real World

For the past six months, we've had a fantastic young lady called Lauren (Lo) Holman interning for us—teaching us more about the world of online social medias with all its tumbles and tweetings and books of faces that link us all in together. She's been a great help to us here, and we will miss her greatly when she leaves us next week.

But, before she does, she has done us one final solid by writing up a review of "the intern queen" Lauren Berger's new book, Welcome to the Real World: Finding Your Place, Perfecting Your Work, and Turning Your Job Into Your Dream Career.

Thank you for everything, Lauren! We wish you all the best in "Finding Your Place, Perfecting Your Work, and Turning Your [next] Job Into Your Dream Career." We hope we've helped you on that path in some way.

And now, wiping away the tears but without further ado, here is Ms. Holman's review.

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"Enjoy college. It is your last bit of fun before entering the real world."

If you're in college, there's a good chance you've heard this many times. But those in college are, most often, eager to get out and start their careers. Getting your first "real" job in the "real world" is an incredibly exciting feeling, but once the butterflies are gone and daily reality begins to sink in, the question remains: "Am I ready for this?"

Lauren Berger's new book, Welcome to the Real World, helps us answer that question.

As a junior in college, I am faced with countless quarter-life crises: What do I want to do for the rest of my life? Where do I want to work? Where do I want to live? What is going to happen next? Those older than me continue to make such anxieties worse, because they speak of the "real world" as a place where everything just goes to the pits.

"Life isn't the same when you're out here, so enjoy it while you can!." But what does that mean?

The "Intern Queen" Lauren Berger helps ease the anxiety and anticipation that many college students experience. Welcome to the Real World is the modern girl's (and guy's) guide to succeeding in life after college. With chapters that cover topics like the importance of balancing friends, romance, and the workplace, personal branding, and tips for managing finances, Berger provides readers with a go-to survival guide for these formative years. Through her no-nonsense, yet easily relatable tone, Berger tackles the hard-hitting questions of the real world as if she was the older sister you never had. One section I found particularly interesting was "Ways Our Generation Harms Their Personal Brand at Work" in the chapter on personal branding. One of those ways is inconsistency. Berger warns:

Your job is to be consistent. To set the bar somewhere and keep it there. Did you do an outstanding job on one project? Great! You've now set the standard. You are now expected to do an outstanding job on every project. Can it be difficult to perform in an environment with high expectations? Yes, but who said work was easy? And it's not just your actual work. Your attitude, work ethic, organization, prioritization, and maximization should all be consistent. Once you make an impression, you must make it last. Consistent people get ahead.

Great advice that's easy to understand and to apply.

While reading Welcome to the Real World, I felt an immediate sense of calm rush over me and my quarter-life anxiety put to rest. Berger provided me with the information I needed before entering my senior year and prepping for the real world. By sharing her personal experiences and endeavors, she gave me a hefty dose of reality and adjusted my expectations coming out of college. Rather than scolding millennials or telling them to enjoy our supposedly "care-free" life while we can, she leads by example and informs her audience what they should and should not do in order to live a balanced life.