Students are so busy with their first year of college, they often don’t think about how important each year is and how to plan ahead for the end goals, graduation and a job.
Your first year is not too early to begin to think about how to make college into your best chance for future employment. Although the first year of college may seem like it is just an adjustment period and given over to required and introductory course work, there is an opportunity to turn your first year into a helpful step on the way to getting a great job.
Here are some suggestions:
Add a writing or public speaking course to your schedule. Now is the time to hone your communication skills. Knowing how to speak and write can only help you in your future and more difficult classes as well as be valuable transferable skills into the work world. (Think cover letters, interviewing, presentations.)
Keep taking a language. High school usually introduces you to a foreign language, but this does not ensure you keep up with your skills or improve them. In an international economy, being able to understand and speak another language is a big plus on the job market.
Visit your career center. The career center on campus is not just for seniors. Start to familiarize yourself with the center and its staff. Look over career literature and take personality tests. All of this will help both with choosing a major and getting a job.
Take part in extracurricular activities. You need to pursue and explore different interests. This will help you seem more well-rounded when you apply for jobs, and you will never guess how an interest, no matter how bizarre, can make you look better than the job candidate next to you or even lead you down a career path that will be enjoyable and successful.
