If You’ve Ever Experienced Rejection, You *Need* to Watch (and Then Rewatch) This ExtraCurricular Class
Here’s something that’s true, even though when it happens, you def don’t want to hear it: Sometimes not getting that “dream job” is the best thing that could happen to you. I’m serious! It’s not the end of the world—in fact, it’s your secret weapon. (Stay with me—you’ve got this, bb!)
Your other secret weapon? ExtraCurricular by Cosmo And if you’ve ever experienced rejection (at work, in your personal life, you name it), we’ve got your back. In our last class of the first-ever ExtraCurricular semester, Alencia Johnson—founder and chief impact officer of 1063 West Broad, a social impact agency specializing in the intersection of culture, impact, and purpose—taught us how to accept (and learn from!) rejection.
Johnson’s work is centered around social justice and culture change, and she’s been working across all sort of industries (see: activism, politics, corporate, and entertainment) for more than a decade, bringing together brands, organizations, and people to create social impact. Oh, and NBD: She’s worked for the presidential campaigns of President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren as well as Planned Parenthood and GEICO. (JK, it’s a BFD!!)
Basically, Johnson spends her 9-to-5 doing cool sh*t that makes a difference—all while being her own boss. Dreamy, right? Well, here’s the thing: You don’t get to this kind of boss-level status without having experienced some career setbacks. In this session, Johnson talks us through all the professional rejections (and even worse, ghosting) she’s faced—and how they didn’t stop her. She kept applying, networking, and self-reflecting until (and TBH, after) all the hard work finally started paying off. And along the way, she learned some super-important truths, like rejection can be the confirmation you need that something isn’t for you—this is a good thing! And rejection can actually give you a new, clearer perspective on everything else you have going on in your life—another good thing!
We’ve got to embrace rejection, Johnson says, because it builds our perseverance, keeps us aligned with our purpose, and opens us up to other opportunities. That means:
If you believe in something, if you’re committed to that goal, you’ve gotta keep going, no matter how much that “no” stings.
If you hear that dreaded “no,” remember: You were in the room for a reason, and that in itself is valid.
Stay the course and take your time, however much it is, as long as it’s for the right cause.
IDK about you, but I’m feeling better already! Wanna hear more? watch at extracurricular now
BTW, if you’re like, Wait, what is ExtraCurricular? Here’s a lil refresher: Presented by Dell XPS, think of this as a new kind of college. Over the past few weeks, we’ve premiered a series of classes that’ll teach you what you *actually* need to know at this exact moment we’re in (how to find the job, land it, not hate it, etc.), created by your crew at Cosmo, alongside Plan B One-Step, and taught by an exclusive team of just-for-you mentors…that includes cover star Emma Roberts(!!!). And did we mention these classes are free?! Yep. And you can rewatch them all through the end of the semester—unless you join Cosmo Unlocked, in which case you can keep the vids forever. (Better than taking notes, TBH.)
Catch up on every lesson here! (And if you’re the extra-credit type, check out Cosmo shadowship and Dell internship opportunities here.)
See you next semester!
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