By Rodaina Alaa and Zeina El Sayed

Tips for choosing a future career were discussed at a talk hosted by Mohamed Reda, on Wednesday at Eslsca University.

The talk gave New Media freshmen tips for choosing the right career path. Some of these tips included how to think outside of the box, and how to identify their passion.

Mohamed Reda, an American University in Cairo (AUC) graduate, worked as a salesperson in Emaar and Mountain View, he then proceeded to work at Tarek Nour Communications. He eventually started his own Facebook community, the “What to Community”, more commonly known as “What To Eat?”

“The things we are passionate about are where time flies when doing them; they are what we were born to do,” he stated.

He started his talk by discussing the importance as freshmen to try out different things until they find their passion. Reda emphasized that finding the right path takes time and advised students not to stress about their futures for now.

“I started in sales but realized it wasn’t my passion. I wanted something more fun, so I tried different things and ended up in advertising and content creation,” Reda said.

He proceeded by mentioning the importance of being unique and staying true to self to succeed. 

Reda advised students not to accept social norms and to think outside of the box. He stressed the importance of this step in building their future careers since it will help them build a path to follow in their upcoming years.

“Reda taught me to think differently and not abide by social norms, because it’s going to make me stand out,” a New Media and Communication freshman stated.

Furthermore, he discussed the Red Car Theory, which suggests that opportunities are everywhere but are often overlooked until attention is directed toward them.

On that note, he stated that if someone has an idea and the chance to act on it, it will eventually come to life. 

“If you keep something in mind and seize the opportunity to pursue it, it will eventually become a reality,” he said.

Reda continued his talk by saying that it’s not important to be a straight-A student or perfect; what matters is that a student’s actions and decisions are human, and if they reflect that humanity, they are doing the right thing.

“It is not about getting straight A’s or being perfect, it is about making humble decisions,” Reda stated.

He advised students not to listen to people who tell them to be humble, as people often feel insecure when they see someone else’s success.

To end his talk, Reda reminded students that finding their passion takes time and effort, but they should keep going because “it will be worth it in the end.”

He concluded his talk by advising students to get advice from someone they look up to, as “it’s the best and most helpful advice they can receive”.

“Don’t try to fit in. Do what you want to do and be yourself because there’s no one else like you,” he said.