* Name: Adrienne Teague, 25
* Job title: Administrative specialist III in the Office of the Chancellor
* Location: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
* First job: Hostess at a fish restaurant in Kingsport, Tenn.
* Favorite part of job: “It is not a monotonous job. There is something new every single day.”
* Worst part of job: “The stress that comes along with it; maybe striving for perfection too often makes you a little more stressed out than you should be.” (Ms. Teague said she’s a perfectionist about 80 percent of the time).
* Special rewards: Being connected to the students. “It’s neat to see that each part of the university is so integral in helping their development. It’s funny how you wouldn’t think an event planning position would do anything for helping enrollment, but in a way you’re providing things that are connecting students with what the university is doing on a daily basis.”
* Best advice: (To fellow young professionals): Learn from those who have been there longer. Be enthusiastic, but don’t look to reinvent the wheel from the get-go. Listen. “Things are in place for a reason, and there are good quality skills and advice you can take from other people.”
* Making a career of it: As a student, get involved in different student organizations. “I ended up finding my career path through student leadership here at UTC.” Consider an internship with a hospitality network. Seek out a master’s degree in hospitality and tourism or institutional advancement.