But Now What: As a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?

Halleemah Nash: I wanted to be a hip hop dancer

BNW: At the time what made you think that’s what you wanted to do with your life?

HN: I really enjoyed music and how much fun I had doing it

BNW: Did you know or have access to people who were working in that field?

HN: No, I didn’t become a dancer but I looked up to Debbie Allen and eventually went on to attend her alma mater Howard University

BNW: What made you decide that you wanted to go to college?

HN: I was looking for an opportunity to escape my environment, I wanted a totally different experience and college was the perfect chance to do that

BNW: What things/activities were you involved in while in college?

HN: I participated in a number of leadership activities including Team Leader in the School of Business, Campus Pals, and even becoming a Resident Assistant

BNW: At what point did you realize that the dream that you are currently pursuing was your dream job?

HN: When I realized that I could do something that I was good at which was general business and project management and merge it with what I am passionate about which is sports and philanthropy

BNW: When you got out of school what was your first job?

HN: I landed an internship with the Chicago Bulls as Community Relations Assistant directly after graduate school at Duke University

BNW: When did you transition into what you are currently doing?

HN: After a few years I was doing well assisting athletes with individual projects and decided to start my own company

BNW: What would most people be surprised to learn about your current job?

HN: It’s a lot of hard work and is not as glamorous as some think

BNW: How do you think your college experience has helped you on your current path?

HN: Howard University taught me the importance of work ethic paired with an incredible network. Everything I learned while at Howard catapulted me into promising opportunities from graduation on because I am committed to working hard and I have valued and utilized the Howard university network and that has contributed greatly to my success

BNW: What is your dream for the company?

HN: To give celebrity philanthropy a greater audience and work on projects that build philanthropy brands and build communities long term

BNW: In 5 years where do you see yourself?

HN: Continuing a promising career at Chicago Housing Authority serving public housing residents and continuing to operate successfully as the CEO of Legacy Venture with offices around the world

BNW: How will you know when you gave accomplished the dream?

HN: When I can look at my projects and see both the client and the community making positive changes and great impact

BNW: If there was a young person in America, no matter how rich or poor who wanted to do what you do, what are 3 tangible things they can do to get started?

HN: Build a great network, have some diverse experience under your belt, and be a fast learner with the ability to put lessons into action fairly quickly

Roommates after graduation tend to have a list of scheduling issues that may not be conducive to your lifestyle if you are accustom to dorm life. There are a variety of schedules outside of academia. When you work a day shift, your roommate may be on a very different shift at night. You may work eight-hour shifts while your roommate may work 12 hours. There are also issues where roommates may work from home or have a very flexible schedule that means they work whenever and wherever they want to. Overall, the best way to make sure that the roommates schedule fits with your own is to simply ask upfront.
Another difference between roommates in college and roommates after graduation are the living conditions. Most dorms do require some level of cleanliness and if your roommate does not adhere to these rulings, you can go inform the resident assistant to fix the issues. After graduation there is no one you can go to if your roommate does not maintain some level of cleanliness. In fact, there is no one to turn to in order to solve disputes but you.

Lastly, there is the huge situation of bills. In college a lot of times your living expenses were covered by financial aid, parents or scholarships. For most of us, we simply had to swipe our ID and there would be money to buy the things we needed. After graduation, when you actually have to earn all of the money that you need to live things change a lot, and peoples priority differences can really begin to show. Make sure that you and your roommate have a system worked out for the bills prior to moving in together. Also make sure that you are comfortable with being vocal about when things are due and what is expected for each roommate. Discussing finances is never an easy thing, but to make sure things run smoothly, have the conversation before it becomes an issue!

Before taking in a roommate, consider all the differences that you may face, and manage expectations so everyone is clear on what is expected.

An intern having an office romance may not seem like a big deal. You know that as an intern you will only be in the office for a small amount of time. Your internship will only last for six to twelve months, which means that any relationship you have would not affect your career as a whole. You may choose to be more open during the internship as well since attachments could be easily broken if there is a problem.  In other words having a relationship as an intern is a relatively risk free zone.

Having a relationship as an employee is a drastically different situation. As an employee inter-office romances can affect every aspect of your career. If a relationship goes poorly you could face issues with other co-workers or with your direct supervisor. These issues can directly affect the number of hours that are made to available to you. If the relationship causes issues with your work or causes mistakes in your work then you may be looking for another job. Overall, having an office romance is never a good idea for career-minded individuals. If you are going to have a relationship in the office keep your career in mind and make sure you are aware of the long-term effects of your romantic choices.

Next Terese plans to sketch her way to being on Project Runway. The But Now What team supports Terese’s amazing talent and wishes her the best of luck in all of her future endeavors.

Watch Miss Terese rip the Plitzs New York City Fashion Week runway and discuss what motivates her to keep designing threads. Check out all of Terese’s clothes at TereseSydonna.com

Terese Sydonna

During some down time I had the pleasure of overhearing a few new colleagues discuss the woes of finding a great dog sitter. One colleague mentioned that she used to have a sitter that would do a great job, anytime she needed…for free. A second colleague recommended someone, mentioning that he charged by the hour. Wait, say what now?

Apparently you can earn a second-living by dog sitting. To some this may be old news, but this was news to me. To quote one of my favorite rappers, Jay-Z 9(ahem, ahem): “I can sell water to a well.” Most people thought these words were just a play on words, but I can attest that now I believe these words.

Here’s the thing, if there is a need for a service, the service can be met and compensation can be received. I rarely look at the opportunities available to me; they really are endless. The key is to market yourself in the appropriate image. Of course there’s no formal interview process to be a doggy caregiver, but you can explain your history of taking care of pets. This translates to almost any service, from cleaning to being a computer technician.

I also learned that there’s also power in who you know. Last week I discussed the extended elevator pitch. Well general networking is similar. A mentor of mine once told me that people are hired, because in some instances they are liked. In most professions you spend more time with your co-workers than you do with your family. It’s important to like the people you work with. Makes sense. In networking, great conversations start and then the next thing you know, you’re either working for or being hired by a friend; a person who not only enjoyed your work ethic, but also your personality.

After the day was over, I came to the realization that I should sit down and think about what I may be good at, outside of my number one passion(s). I made sure to leave a business card with my boss for the day.  It’s all in how you present yourself, right?

Who knows? She may need someone to listen in on conversations and get ideas for writing blog posts to help others one day…that’s me.

By: Naiquan Greene

Enjoy!

I know there has been a lot of talk on the social networking sites about Google’s new privacy policy. With the amount of over-sharing that happens on social media sites, I wonder if the changes discussed in the video will make people think twice about what they put out on the internet.  The video talks about changes that both Google and Facebook are making, and is pretty interesting, so check it out. Will these new changes change the way you surf the internet?

Suit Dreams