The big talk this week is March Madness, but I’m more psyched for April baseball. Ahh, baseball…

I’ve been counting the months, weeks, days, and minutes until Opening Day since last November. There’s just something about the game — those walk-off homers in the bottom of the ninth; the knot in my stomach when the closer comes in to (hopefully) save the game; David Wright’s supreme cuteness; the triumph of an underdog team celebrating on the field. I can hardly wait until my Metsies take the field on Sunday night. While I wait patiently (OK, more like obsess over Game 1 starters), I’m realizing that there’s a lot to learn from America’s pasttime — not to mention countless baseball metaphors to exploit (my apologies in advance). So without further ado, please rise for the singing of the national anthem — er, sorry — I mean, check out these baseball-inspired success strategies…

“You gotta have heart” – So the famous song from the broadway musical says. And, if you do, you can even beat those “Damn Yankees” (I hope the Mets do this year, anyway). In other words, drive, dedication, and lots of practice can take you to the big game, even if you’re starting from last place (a.k.a. have no educational background or career experience). To get one step closer to first base, start researching hot career paths and swing away.

“Who’s on First?” – I love Abbott and Costello’s famous, hysterical skit, don’t you? But it goes to show that if you don’t get to know the who’s who of your field, chaos and confusion might ensue. Take the time to research career paths, speak with industry MVPs, shadow someone on the job in your field of choice, seek out professional affiliations and organizations, etc. Staying in the know will help you warm up for your big game debut.

“Field of Dreams” – Remember that movie and that whisper: “If you build it, they will come?” And that last scene between father and son? Just thinking about it makes me teary-eyed! But I digress… What I really wanted to say is that to find success in the field of your dreams, you’ll have to do some building. Skills building, that is (who’s backyard is big enough to build a ball field anyway?!). Take a course, earn a certification, or pursue a full-fledged degree. The choice is yours, and the educational opportunities are there. Once you’ve completed your “spring training,” you’ll be ready to play the field.

So follow your heart, find out who’s who in the field, and build your career dreams! And if you strike out once or twice, don’t sweat it. You’ll knock one out of the park next time… just like David Wright will against the Cards, God willing.

This past week, I was a guest speaker at a public relations course at St. John’s University, which also happens to be my undergrad alma mater. It was the first time I stepped foot on campus since I graduated in ‘98. In fact, the classroom I spoke in was housed in a gorgeous new academic center that used to be a lawn. It made me realize that some things are still the same (like the bad parking!), but mostly, times have changed.

When I was a college senior nine years ago, for instance, doing an internship was hardly a given. Not all students did them, and the ones who did, chose to as an excuse to take less classes. Lucky for me, I took the “easy” route and decided to intern for a small publishing company just down the road from campus above a strip mall. It was sort of related to my major — English — and I figured it was more interesting than taking some goofy elective like Astronomy or Medieval Archeology. The last thing I wanted to become, however, was the intern cliche, swimming in a sea of file folders, coffee filters, and band-aids from all the paper cuts. Hence why I figured a small company would be my best shot at getting some good experience under my belt.

So low and behold, I went to my internship 12 hours a week as my school required, and to my surprise, I learned so much. It was the first time I saw this new computer thing that made a gurgly fax machine noise called “the Internet” (yes, I’m serious!). I also handwrote my first article, and typed it into the company’s one computer while the other employees went out to lunch, and it eventually resulted in my first published byline.

As my internship progressed, I slowly realized I was hooked on seeing my name in print, and I wanted to be a journalist, a writer, and an editor. I graduated that May, but kept writing articles for my internship editor — some of which I was paid like $50 for. I was so ecstatic about all the extra income! As I’ve said, times have changed.

All these years later, that small publishing company is not so small anymore. They’ve relocated from the strip mall to a corporate office building, have a way larger staff, and everyone even has their own computer. Including me! That’s right — the internship that got me out of Intro to Woodworking, turned out to be where I’ve made my career home for the last nine years. I’ve grown along with The CollegeBound Network (and thankfully, they pay me now!).

What does this all mean for you, readers? Let’s extract some lessons:

- Don’t always go with the crowd. Had I taken Marine Biology for English Majors instead of testing the waters of a possible career path, I may never have discovered my affinity for journalism. To that end, had I listened to my college advisor and majored in business, I’d be punching numbers into spreadsheets right now — which is great if you’re good at that sort of thing, but I’m definitley not. And while it’s perfectly OK and quite common to change careers a few times over the course of your working life, it’s so much easier when you nail it the first time, don’tcha think?

- Decide what you love to do, and get good at it. Before I officially considered myself a journalist, I felt I needed to get some formal training, meet people in the field, and choose the right track for me. So before I went full-time with CollegeBound, I pursued my master’s degree in journalism at NYU to really hone the craft, and I realized my preference for magazines over newspapers in the process. Plus, it opened up a world of industry events and opportunities — in fact, I’m going to a media lecture for alumni next week. Which brings me to my next point…

- Build career relationships. You never know from whom your next job offer will come. Whether you intern for someone, meet at an industry trade show, or take classes, stay in touch with former employers, colleagues, professors, and classmates. Inevitably, networking is almost always how people land their dream positions.

- Change with the times. I wish I could travel back to ‘98 to tell myself to get in on the ground floor of that weird “Internet” thing. Oh well… But I did have the sense to keep up with technology and it’s a good thing. My print journalism career has completely transformed to a Web-based, blogging, HTML-ing one. And, well, the Internet basically runs my whole working life.

It goes to show that although times change, and campuses and companies grow, everything eventually comes full circle. Even if that circling happens to take place in a crowded college parking lot.

I was at a media conference in Hershey, PA, this past weekend, and I don’t know if it was all the free chocolate or just getting away for a couple of days, but I was fascinated by Milton Hershey’s legacy (and not just the Mr. Goodbars and Kisses, I swear!). Check this out…

With no formal education, Milton went bankrupt several times trying to get into the caramel business. Literally down to his last buck — even after family members mortgaged their homes to help him — an English client put in a giant caramel order, and single-handedly saved him from financial ruin. The reason for this big order? In England, he combined the caramel with chocolate and it was a big Brit hit. Milton still faced “rocky roads” thereafter, but ultimately, this encounter is what inspired him to turn his attention and dedicate his life to chocolate.

Once he was successful, he opened a school for orphans, to give young people educational opportunities that he didn’t have. Today, qualifying low-income students who attend the Milton Hershey school get free room and board, free schooling through 12th grade, a large scholarship to the college of their choice, a brand new wardrobe, and a laptop. Plus the student houses have chocolate milk on tap!

Why do I bring this up? More often than not, people take jobs or enter careers that they later on realize are going nowhere. Some stay put and hope for the best, and others go with their gut and learn how to do something else. Figuring out your passion is not an easy undertaking, but as Milton believed, education certainly helps.

Plus, just like caramel and chocolate (or peanut butter and chocolate, or anything and chocolate, for that matter), you’ll be amazed at how your interests and talents can combine to create a delicious career. Some examples that come to mind…

Technology + Creativity = Web Design or Game Design
Health Care + Criminal Justice = Legal Nurse Consultant
Cooking + Business = Catering Management

Get the idea? It took Milton Hershey a while to discover his passion for chocolate, but once he did, he educated himself on various techniques to perfect his chocolate candy recipe. So take some time to enjoy some free samples (a.k.a. read about various career paths), and pursue an education that’s more satisfying than chocolate. Well, almost…

No, it’s not a bird, a plane, or a bad slogan to a new Sci-Fi channel “Heroes” ripoff. It’s actually the top three career goals as cited by CollegeSurfing.com users. Well, if you minus the metaphor, it means programs in aviation, criminal justice, and massage/wellness programs garnered the most requests for information at CollegeSurfing.com thus far in ‘07.

The top 5 specific programs were:

What do these fields have in common? Well, for one thing, they are all industries that are penetrable via career education and training. They are also the perfect lead-in for this question…

Q: Isn’t career training for people who just don’t want to go to “real” college?

A: There are many reasons why people choose to pursue career education, and it’s usually centered around having very specific career goals. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), over the 12-month period ending in spring 2005, 44 percent of adults reported having participated in formal adult educational activities. Reasons cited included:

The bottom line is that career education differs from a traditional university education in several ways, but one main difference is that it isn’t most populated by newly graduated high school seniors. Those who pursue career education do so from a variety of life situations, career goals, and demographic backgrounds.

Then, of course, is the nature of the learning itself. Career education is very industry-focused, skill-building, hands-on coursework. You can think of it as sort of an “off-the-job” training. On the other hand, traditional college students complete a “core curriculum” of classes aimed to provide a well-rounded education (hence the English literature, philosophy and biology requirements), along with whichever major course of study they choose.

Naturally, choosing between career schools and traditional colleges and universities will depend on your professional goals. If you want to be a college professor, you’ll need the full-fledged advanced degrees in education. But if you want to fly high, fight bad guys, or ease stress, career education will give you professional wings (or, a red cape, if you prefer).

So what do you want to be when you grow up?

Photo: Warner Bros.