*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 106 Issue 1 of our news magazine, Amplifier.

According to a 2022 survey, “52% of high school students feel pressure to make decisions about their future too soon.” For these students experiencing anxiety, Victoria Meinig, director of the West Linn Chamber of Commerce, wants to remind them that they are not alone and shares strategies to breed a positive outlook on the future. On March 11, Meinig came to West Linn, where she spoke to students at the women’s forum about her career and experience as a woman without a degree in the professional world. She advised on how to explore new avenues and reach the utmost potential in your career. 

As director of the West Linn Chamber of Commerce, Meinig works with businesses—anything from local small nonprofits such as the West Linn Food Pantry to large national chains like Safeway—to support them the best she can. This involves working with the businesses themselves—running events and campaigns, assisting with marketing and advertising—and working with larger groups like the city and state governments—advocating for helpful laws and policies. Meinig joined the Chamber last year and is currently working to get back to its pre-COVID membership and revenue levels. 

“I would describe [my job] as a problem solver,” Meinig said. “I support all businesses—small businesses especially—and so I basically help them move forward. I help get all businesses to be able to promote themselves, grow, and figure out where their places in the community [are] to help support the community.”

The forum was put on by the Associated Student Body (ASB) to help women feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of their future career. Audrey Krake, senior and ASB Yearbook Liaison, was in charge of putting the event on and contacted Meinig for the presentation.

“My main goal of hosting the forum was to create a space where women can learn and be empowered by other women in business,” Krake said. “I feel like a lot of the high schoolers at our school are interested in business, and I had the perfect person [to come speak].”

At the forum, Meinig emphasized the importance of flexibility and willingness to try new things in her career path. In her own career, she has worked everything from jobs in finance to being a wedding planner.

“In high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Meinig said. “I did not come from [wealth], so I did not know how I was going to go to college and how I would pay for that. So I tried a little bit of everything, [which] I think has been super helpful, and it’s what I hope all young people [do], especially younger folks who don’t know what they want to do. I’d like them to try it all. Just go ahead, even if you find something, and you try it for a short amount of time, and you’re like, ‘oh, not my thing,’ I love that.”

When Meinig encounters students who think they already know what career path they want to go into, she still encourages them to explore new horizons. 

“[Trying new things] is a good skill, because no matter what, even if you find your passion, if you’re willing to try a bunch of different things, you’re going to be highly successful,” Meinig said. “You are going to learn all these wonderful things and be able to do so much.”

For the estimated 20 students who attended the forum, it was found to be insightful and thought-provoking. Students like Connie Fashu-Kanu, junior, signed up to hear new perspectives and life experiences, and found it to be reassuring for her future.

“[Meinig’s talk] was very inspirational and eye-opening,” Fashu-Kanu said. “Even if you get an ‘F’ on a paper, the world’s not gonna end, and you’ll still have opportunities to do whatever you want. And even if I decide not to go to college, I can still get a really good job and find something that I love to do.”

Another thing Meinig focused on during the forum was how she has overcome systemic barriers of gender equality and elitist biases. According to data compiled by Third Way, only 51% of all non-college women are employed, and those who are earn 30% less annually than non-college men. 

“Being female is not always easy in the industry,” Meinig said. “I had a 14-year career in finance. [Which], back in the day, used to be male-dominated. That was very difficult, and not having a degree prevented me at times from being able to do the things that I wanted to do. But I was able to get around those things a lot of times. If you’re willing to show someone what you can do, and they’re willing to actually look and listen, then you can [succeed].”

Meinig believes that, in addition to speaking up and showing your unique perspectives, part of overcoming these barriers comes from a supportive team and boss.

“In the finance industry, I would get invited to meetings because I had a different perspective. And there were times when I would have an idea, [and] I would express my idea, [and then,] because I was young and female, no one would acknowledge that I had given the idea,” Meinig said. “I had a very supportive manager [who] would reiterate what I had just said, and he would make sure to always come back to give me credit, because, had he not done that, I would just have been whispers.”

Meinig says that the best things students can do in high school to open up their future and potentially get a head start on their career are to persevere, never settle, and put themselves out there. The director gives this advice based on her own experience, where she reflected that if she were to do anything differently in her career, she would take more risks.  

“You don’t have to come out of the gates knowing exactly what you want to do or having a direct idea—try anything and everything,” Meinig said. “I’m a firm believer that hard work will get you where you want to go. Volunteer, be willing to try new things, and really just know that you don’t have to have a degree to get started. There will be times in your life when you need to go back to school, and that’s a very valuable thing to do, but don’t give up and keep imagining where and what you want, and you can go far. Go volunteer. Go try. Go meet people. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Go ask them if you can help them. Go ask them if you can volunteer and do some work with them so that you can learn what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.”