Being a college student is especially difficult in the present day, particularly because the cost of higher education is rising and many people are pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Thus, students often graduate with student loan debt and find themselves among a large pool of applicants for the best-paying jobs. However, there are several things a student can do to help prepare for success in the job world after graduation. Read on for tips and advice.
Take a Student Internship
Student internships are necessary in certain fields. For instance, on-the-job training is necessary in order to secure a position in healthcare. Journalism majors, business majors and accountants would do well to get work experience while in school, too. Whether or not your major requires you to intern, you should intern nonetheless. The combination of education and at least one year of work experience is often enough to obtain entry-level work in most fields. A paid internship is preferable to an unpaid one, especially if the student does not have the financial freedom to intern in an unpaid position.
Take a Break Between High School and College
In the past, students were encouraged to enroll in college immediately upon high school graduation. Now, gap year travel programs are becoming more popular. Such programs encourage students to spend a year after high school deciding which field they would like to enter. This is helpful for many students because it prevents them from wasting tuition money on a field of study that they may later abandon. The gap year also gives students a break from a traditional classroom setting. This break is often much-needed because it can help prevent student burnout in college.
Network Outside Your Field
College students are often told to join student organizations related to their major field of study. Finance majors, for instance, are encouraged to join a student organization for business majors. This is good advice. However, it is also a good idea to network with people outside your major field. This opens up a wealth of potential job references upon graduation. For instance, an English major whose focus is in education might do well to also consider professional organizations related to grant writing, library science, journalism, and all other field where writing and rhetoric would be relevant.
However, this same English education student should not lose sight of his or her other interests. If, for instance, the English education student is also interested in counseling, then he or she should join a social work organization. This might be useful in the future if the student decides to pursue a master’s degree and a counseling license. Joining a job organization outside your field will keep you abreast of trends in employment in that secondary field. You will be aware of where the jobs are and what education and experience are required to obtain those jobs.
Study with Challenging Professors
Students often try to take classes they believe will result in an “easy A.” However, those classes are not often the ones in which the student learns much. Rather than seek the easy route, students should take classes with professors who are known to be demanding. Such professors often have higher standards and will make students work to earn their degrees. The students who get into the habit of working hard will often continue this work ethic after graduation.
While college is a time to grow and learn, it is above all a time in which students work toward the end goal of finding a job. Work an internship, network outside your field, take a gap year and work with demanding professors. These four bucket list items will help prevent burnout and also help ensure you are getting the education and work experience necessary to make yourself a successful job candidate in the future.
