Once upon a time, college freshmen would arrive on campus excited to meet their roommates, cheer on their football teams, and attend a frat party or two.
Not anymore. Today’s freshmen are heading straight to the career center.
According to the AP article “Colleges: Freshmen Seeking Career Advice Now” by Kathy Matheson, campus career centers are becoming more popular with college freshmen than late-night pizza deliveries. the night. Whether due to the slow economic recovery or their already packed schedules, this generation of college students (also known as Millennials) are ready to jumpstart their post-college careers now.
And they are on the right track. Earning a college degree is expensive and time consuming. The more college freshmen can learn about potential career paths and which ones are right for them, the easier their transition into the world of work will be.
No matter where you are in your college career, here are some tips you can follow to prepare for the future.
talk to a professional
One of the best ways to learn more about a potential career path is to talk to someone who is actually living their dream. Talk to your friends, your parents, and your parents’ friends to see who knows someone in your field. Then ask them if you can take them out for coffee or lunch, and pick their brain. (If a face-to-face meeting doesn’t work, email is a good option.)
The more questions you can ask him about what his career will entail, the better. Learn about education requirements, typical work hours, and opportunities for advancement. Ask them what is the most challenging about their jobs and what is the most rewarding. From your answers, you should have a better idea of whether or not this career is right for you.
An added bonus: Meeting with a career professional can help you network for a job in the future. (Just don’t forget to write them a thank you note or email afterwards, and keep in touch throughout your college years!)
Work, Intern or Volunteer
You’re going to learn some great stuff in the classroom, no doubt about it. Writing skills, critical thinking skills, and research skills are all part of a college degree that will be invaluable down the road. But what you can learn by working, interning, or volunteering, particularly in your chosen field, will be just as important after you graduate.
To get started, you’ll learn the computer programs, business processes, and office etiquette you’ll need when you enter the workforce. Knowing how to use the entire Microsoft Office suite, how to deal with a gossipy co-worker, and how to manage and run a meeting in FUZE are skills you won’t learn at a conference, but will come in handy throughout your career. Small details like how to answer a phone and manage a meeting may not seem like a big deal, but they will have an impact on future employers.
Working, internting, and volunteering can also be a great way to build your resume and start building a professional network. Many college graduates get jobs directly with their college employers or through their referrals, so this is a great way to get ahead of your competition.
And don’t underestimate the impact a college job can have on your future career. Getting exposure in your field, even if it’s as a temp or assistant, can give you insight into that career and what it entails. You may reaffirm that it’s the right choice, or you may realize that it’s not what you thought, saving you a lot of time and money that you could spend going down that path.
Consider a double major (or minor)
Are you undecided about what you want to do? Thinking of becoming a doctor, but also want to learn Spanish? Why not major in biology and Spanish, or consider a secondary foreign language?
Double majoring or majoring can be beneficial to your future career for a number of reasons. First, it gives you versatility and shows potential employees that you have a wide variety of skills that they can use in their companies. Two, it can be a perfect option for races that don’t have a clear run. (For example, if you want to run your own public relations firm one day, you might benefit from a journalism or communications degree with a minor in business. Or vice versa.) And three, it can give you the flexibility to change your mind about your career and what you want to do in the future.
Visit your Career Center
Most schools have a career center dedicated to one purpose: helping you find a job. In addition to providing advice and information on what career is right for you, they will help you with job search essentials: how to prepare a resume, how to write a cover letter, where to conduct your job search, and much more. Also, career centers often receive information about job opportunities, so calling their email groups and websites can give you a jump on potential job openings. Some career centers even host job and career camps throughout the school year, giving you the opportunity to meet directly with future employers.
Consult with your adviser
In addition to the career center, your advisor can be a valuable resource in your career search. It’s a college advisor’s job to know the ins and outs of each available class option, as well as what you need to graduate with a particular major.
So if you have any questions about which classes will best prepare you to become a rocket scientist, ask them. If you are thinking of becoming an architect and want to know the difference between the B.Arch and a Master of Architecture, ask them. If you major in business and want to know if you’ve completed enough prerequisites and business classes to graduate, ask them. That’s what they are for.
do your research
The field you choose to pursue, whether it’s medicine, law, or teaching, should be something you love. (The more you like it, the better you will do it and the more satisfaction you will get). But it doesn’t hurt to do some research first and find out which careers in that field offer the best compensation. , growth potential and job prospects. If you’re interested in medicine, for example, but aren’t sure about going to medical school, it might help to know that registered nurses and physician assistants are experiencing unprecedented job growth in their respective fields.