As a young adult and early career professional, you may have an idea of what you want to do or achieve long-term, i.e. your passion and main driving force, or maybe you don't and are still looking for something that sparks meaning. Either one is okay! The most important thing is that you are authentically you. It takes a lot of courage and self-awareness to identify your strengths and opportunities for growth -- both of which can be hard! If you are constantly putting yourself down or downplaying your accomplishments, you may not feel like you have a lot of strengths. In that case, you need to allow yourself to be comfortable speaking about your successes and accomplishments, even though it may feel like bragging. In fact, it's a great skill to be able to brag, because that is how you sell yourself! Practice by writing down a brag sheet and rehearsing a couple elevator pitches where you share something cool that you recently worked on, such as a project milestone (even small ones!) or a problem that stumped you for a while (those take tenacity and grit!). These should boost your confidence when networking and interviewing. Re-framing what you perceive to be your "weaknesses" as Opportunities is a great way to pivot from a fixed to a growth mindset. We are not defined by our problems but by how we choose to approach them. Take a look at yourself regularly and reflect on what has been giving you problems lately. You can also ask for feedback from anyone you work or collaborate with. It can be tough to put yourself in a vulnerable position like that, but you will gain so much insight and potentially learn something about yourself. After identifying your problem spots, research ways you can tangibly improve. Are there any new skills you could learn, articles or books you can read, experts you can reach out to?

Some of the best things that have happened to me in my life and career are because of networking and communication! I love to meet new people and get to know them through various means. I have forged some lifelong friendships too. Networking is so important when you want to collaborate with different teams. With networking and collaboration, I was able to learn a lot of new processes that were not known to be before nor they were available as part of any training. I was able to innovate outside of my design scope to be able to create a solution for us to make layouts for our experiments faster and more efficient, I was even recognized in the Technology Development group for this innovation. You don't just have to network and create relationships and maintain them in a company - you can do this in all walks of life. I met some amazing people through various volunteer opportunities, community outreach that have helped me become a better person. Micron has so many opportunities to network with people. We have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) like Micron Young Professionals, Pride +Allies, Black Employee Network, Women's Leadership Network and so many more... There are a lot of events and clubs for various hobbies and activities too. And if you don't find some particular group, you can always start one!

Mentors provide unique insights and their own experience for the sole purpose of helping you succeed. Finding a mentor who is passionate about helping others can excel your career much more than you might initially imagine.