Strayed from degree to build fallen empires. How to return on track?

[FailedEntrepreneurStudent]

Until 4 years ago, I was a straight-A student starting an undergraduate degree in International Affairs/Economics at a quite prestigious university.

I had a minor sports injury which severely affected my performance and reduced my motivation to prepare for exams. To distract myself and breathe new air, I started a gap year creating a few businesses, which have brought me into various countries of the world, however neither of them was really related to my studies (internet marketing and tourism/entertainment) and, despite the great experience and exposure, they were ultimately a failure - in part due to my own loss of motivation.

The year after, I started working on a fixed contract basis for a big and famous company, though still somewhat unrelated to my degree (financial services), and after finishing there I realized that what really motivated me was to work in the field of the degree I had chosen to study: international relations, intl organizations, diplomacy/related, etc.

I would never go back in time, because during these years I have met some wonderful people, learned a new language, and done things which I probably would have never done otherwise.
But the price was high: I will be graduating almost three years later than the normal duration of my degree and with grades which, while not being bad, probably do not meet the requirements to enter a good grad school or even an internship in the field I desire to work in (I was basically doing the exams during these two "gap years", self-studying and not going to lectures).

And all experiences I gained in these years "off track" are not formalized. There is no "certificate" for them (at least, not pleasant-looking ones...), no credentials.

I would appreciate any advice on how I could ultimately return to the career I had in mind.
For example, do you think I could/should write about all this in motivation letters despite not meeting the requirements of the places I apply to?

[CleeIB]

Hi there,

First, note that failure is a prerequisite for success. If one isn't failing at things, one isn't trying hard enough. So while your extracurricular ventures weren't successes in the conventional sense, they weren't worthless, and may in fact be the key to your future success.

As you noted, you learned a new language and made new connections. These are both extremely valuable, and offer ways to get in the door other than experience on paper.

Which, I must note, should include your "off-track" years. Few college students have the initiative and creativity to start new businesses, learn a new language, and then join the private sector without having a diploma in hand. Sure, that's not typical - but that's exactly what you want on a resume. You want to stand out. List everything you did on your resume. If you founded a company, call yourself the founder/CEO/etc. Your contract work for the big and famous company definitely should go on your resume. You want the name there.

As for the new language and new connections - a foreign language is certainly relevant to international relations/diplomacy/etc. And your extracurricular connections - can they open any doors to you? Start talking to people. See if they know people. Your prestigious university will likely have a strong alumni network that hooks up fellow alums (grades are almost secondary in such a context). Start working your email and your Facebook.

Finally, as for mentioning your extracurricular experience when applying to places - absolutely. The key is to make your extracurricular experience seem relevant to what you're applying for. For example, if you worked in business, you likely worked in teams and perhaps you negotiated deals. Your probably also handled clients or customers. So already you have working experience with negotiation and diplomacy of the most basic sort. You can't control the GPA you've already accrued, but you can control the portrayal of yourself to wherever you apply. Find out what they're looking for (aside from sheer numbers like GPA and test scores), and then find ways for your experience to "hook up" with what they're looking for.

Good luck!

[FailedEntrepreneurStudent]

This is very useful and precious advice.

Thank you very much, CleelB. It makes very much sense, indeed. Sometimes I am just used to thinking according to the mainstream, but in fact many of the opportunities I got in the past were also thanks to networking.

Thank you for all this great advice and sorry if this comes over a month later.

I have been doing some networking, tailoring my resume/CV here and there, reading many career books, done career tests, etc.

I have another question related to this but I will open a new topic since it is shorter and only a detail.

[CleeIB]

No worries - it sounds like you're doing the right things as far as next steps go I'll take a look at your other thread.