Hi Rainmakers.

My jaw dropped today when I happened across your worst enemy: the nine-year old elementary school student. (For those of you who are looking really closely, she is using Photoshop.)




You may wonder what a nine-year old elementary school student donning an unassuming pair of pigtails may have on you college-educated folk. Let me give you the inside scoop.

Erin and I visited Wedgeworth Elementary School this morning. We were invited by the Principal of the school as well as the Chairman of the Youth Science Center (http://www.youthsciencecenter.org) to visit some of their summer session classes to learn more about their students. The Rainmaker Network currently helps this elementary school find volunteers for teacher's assistant program as well as volunteers for the YSC summer session.

I was slightly aghast but more so excited when I came across my old computer lab. (Did I mention that Wedgeworth Elementary was my alma mater?) We were welcomed with flat screen LCD monitors, Photoshop software...and nine year olds creating portfolio Web sites. That's right, portfolio Web sites. At nine years old they had a few pieces for their portfolio, as well as a Web site they designed to host it all in! Do you?

I was floored: My first designs went to the printing press when I was eleven, I figured out Photoshop by the time I was fourteen and built my first Web site from scratch when I was fifteen. (I used to post my European History homework on the Web for my classmates to cross-reference answers and hosted a discussion board...) These kids I met today are (relatively) light years ahead and darned if I say they actually had some talent.

Rainmakers, what I'm trying to get at is that your competition is all around: you just need to be aware of it. First and foremost you are your own worst enemy. The sooner you own up to your responsibilities the faster you can resolve issues like motivation, accountability and responsibility for your professional endeavors. Second of all, with the speed in which technology and education is moving, students that graduate just one year after you -- let alone fifteen -- outpace you in technological information and skills. It is important to stay current with the trends and to recognize any gap in skill and address them immediately before they escalate into your next job rejection!

Get ahead and stay ahead of your competition. Make sure you reflect your work ethic and passion in everything that bears your name. And make sure you keep your Rainmaker profiles up-to-date with your recent achievements and portfolio pieces. The early bird gets the worm so start hunting for your dream opportunity today.