On this week’s episode of The Hills Whitney decided to move on from her job at Teen Vogue to take a job at People’s Revolution, a fashion PR company with offices in LA, New York, and Paris. Although Whitney enjoyed her time at Teen Vogue she said that it was time to take the next step toward her dreams and long term goals.

In many ways, those of us in college are kind of stuck here for the next 4 years or so. Some may transfer, but most of us don’t even have the time to fill out the applications. So how do we go after our dreams when our lives have been temporarily put on hold?

1. Find your dreams on a local level: If you want to be a doctor, try volunteering at the local hospital. If you want to be a teacher, tutor kids after school. If you want to be a fashion designer, get a job in retail. Even if you are stuck in a tiny tiny town (I am) there are still baby steps that can be taken toward your long term goals.

2.) Always be looking ahead. Every couple of months, look online to see what kind of jobs are being offered in your field. If there is a specific place you would like to live once you graduate, keep up with the real estate market and familiarize yourself with potential places to live, work, and shop (it’s important, don’t pretend like it’s not) once you get there.

3.) When opportunity comes a’knockin, darling, you better answer. If I got offered my dream job tomorrow, I’d kiss college and Blacksburg goodbye in a hot second. If an opportunity to fulfill your dream, or even take a step toward your dream, don’t hesitate. Life is all about taking advantage of the opportunities. If you keep waiting for the “perfect time” to come along, you will miss out on all of the adventures. Nothing in life is “perfect”.

With this being said, take a moment to think about where you are now, who you want to become, and how those two places make connect along the way.