You’re off to college! Getting a good education is only part of the process because, before you know it, you’ll be starting your career. You’ve come to school to arm yourself with the knowledge and skills you will need later on, but if you aren’t preparing yourself for the career you really want then you’re wasting valuable time. Some students aren’t sure what they want to be when they graduate and that can be just as challenging, attending an institution of higher learning can help those undecided individuals find their calling or a passion they weren’t privy to before coming to campus. Developing your mind is just as important as developing a career path. Here are five tips that can make your transition from class to the real world go as smoothly as possible.
- Follow Your Bliss
Find the thing that excites you most and pursue it. Many students already have a plan in mind when they come to college. If you want to be a lawyer, you go to law school. A doctor or veterinarian, medical school. If you want to make movies, you go to film school. But for the rest of you who aren’t quite sure what it is that inspires your passion, explore classes, join campus organizations, submit to an assessment test that analyzes your personality traits to find the career path you might like most. Be curious and seek out new things. You will find that inspiration and when you do, go after it and declare your major in that field.
- Build a Resume
It’s never too early to get relevant experience under your belt. Do some internships, take a job or two in the field that you want to work in after school. Getting immersed in the right training for the career you want is a great way to build a resume that will impress potential employers in the years ahead. It’s a tough job market out there, arm yourself with a great resume as early as you can!
- Stay with It
You may find yourself discouraged at some point. In fact, you very likely will. Don’t give up. If you were turned down for an internship or you find yourself struggling in a certain class, these are not reasons to pack it in. There will be challenges along the journey, some of them seemingly insurmountable, but the only ones you are 100% guaranteed of failing are those that you don’t even attempt to conquer.
- Tap Every Resource
College campuses have a wealth of available resources and means of support for students pursuing a multitude of careers in every field. Start with your school’s career center, get to know the advisers and counselors that are there to help you. Networking is important and getting friendly with the vital individuals within the department of your chosen major is a great place to start. Find ways to get a leg up on the competition by making yourself open to the opportunities that exist.
- Get Ready to Work Hard
After you graduate, you’re going to be confident that you can take on the world. Finding a job is going to be your next great challenge and when you do, then you better be ready to prove to everyone around you that you’ve got what it takes to succeed. That means not screwing up the lunch order and fetching a lot of coffee. Wait a minute, you didn’t go through all of that hard work at Ohio University just to be a gopher. You better believe you did. We all started from the bottom and so will you. Know that going in and you’ll be just fine.
