CollegeRecruiter.com, Six Ways to Prepare for "Real Life" after Graduation
1 year, 5 months agoIf you're a junior or senior in college, right now is a great time to maximize the last two years of school to jump-start your career. Recent research shows your generation of young careerists is more vulnerable to the ups and downs of real-world transitioning-including job hopping, boomeranging back home to mom and dad, facing burdensome debt and struggling with work/life balance.
The good news is that you can take steps-right now, as you head back to school-to use your pre-grad savvy for post-grad satisfaction. Here are some tips to get you started:
Develop great "work" habits at school. Some of the most valuable skills you'll need when you hit the job market are skills you can master in college. These include: clear, compelling writing and communication; asking great questions; meeting deadlines; being reliable and accountable; managing your time well; attention to detail; and having a great work ethic.
Accumulate some practical work experience. Register through your school's career services for valuable work experience, particularly in a field you're considering-even if the pay is poor or nonexistent. Some experience in your field complements your formal course studies and will separate you from the pack.
When contemplating grad school, consider its ROI. What's the return on investment (ROI) for continuing education? It depends on your targeted career path. For a law, medicine, or teaching career, it's mandatory. But if business is your aim, it may be more prudent to gain some experience in the corporate world, and then go back for your MBA. In many cases, your employer will subsidize the cost.
Formulate some career goals now, not later. A general major, such as marketing, communications, or English literature, are valuable-even if you're not sure what you'll do with the degree. But it's worth researching prospective career fields, interviewing individuals in targeted industries, and learning a bit more of the jobs, prospects for growth, advancement, gratification, and commitment required to succeed. This will help you narrow your focus and set some short and long-term career goals.
Get your "feet wet" in the job search game. Start with your college career services, as employers target individual schools and regions with specific requirements (course work, experience, talents). There are services such as MonsterTRAK, NaceLINK, Simplicity, and Experience that offer wonderful connections to prospective employers. The most common job networking sites are often just as valuable for getting ideas as they are for actually finding a job. Sites include CareerBuilder, CraigsList, Dice.com, eBullPen.com, HotJobs, JobFinder, Jobing.com, JobKabob, JobSeeker, LinkedIN, Monster, or Salary.com. You can also tap into the "hidden job market" by working through your personal and professional network and asking friends, family, professors, and former employers for ideas and introductions.
Avoid the post-grad debt trap. According to 2006 Census Bureau statistics, 46.7 percent of women, and 53.7 percent of men, ages 18-24, move back in with their parents. Partly, this is due to the fact that young adults leave school with debt, and lack some basic money literacy skills. While you're in school, create a monthly budget and practice sticking to it. When you graduate, plan to be moderate-rent, don't buy; drive a used car; keep luxury spending to a minimum; and stick to a monthly budget that includes debt repayment, paying off any new credit card debt in full each month, and monthly savings.
Nicholas Aretakis is a life skills and career coach and the author of No More Ramen: The 20-Something's Real World Survival Guide (Next Stage Press). He hosts an online community for college students and recent grads at www.NoMoreRamenOnline.com, which offers sources and downloadable tools for young adults entering the real world.
