Graduation, the word every college student longs but fears to hear. Why? The uncertainty and anxiety that comes with it. Is my resume good enough to help me get a job? Will I get a job? I don’t want to be living with my parents until I am 40 years old! Will my degree mean anything? Is it worth it to go for a graduate degree?
These are all questions we, as students, have all had. Whether we like to admit it or not. Recently, I had two different staff members, one advisor and one professor, tell me that as a history major I was more likely to be unemployed because that field is “just not growing.” With graduation looming over me in December, that was devastating to hear. I am not even 100% what I want to do, but I know I have a wide range of interests and talents.
But I will share with you a piece of intelligent advice I received from my advisor: go to the Career Advancement Center. I had to apologize to the secretary on the day of my appointment because I had originally gone in there mad as hell. However, that was one of the best decisions I ever made, making an appointment with them. The gentleman I met with was very apologetic and sincere in that he was going to help me. He told me all different things to do, such as go onto their homepage via the Rowan website and sign up for their Profjobs page.
Then, he helped me build my resume. It is not perfect yet. However, all I have to do is email it to him and he sends it back with comments and helpful suggestions in order to make it the strongest it can be. The other suggestion he gave me was to, if I could fit it into my already crammed schedule, to do an internship. This was something I had already planned on doing. However, I had no idea how to start looking for one.
This was where he told me to try networking. Not social networking like Facebook, but to make friends. He told me to look into what connections I may have within family, what connections my family members have. Then, as I was sitting at the organization fair with Sammi, the President of Rowan’s Her Campus, she told me about an email she had received about a publisher needing an intern. Within days, I had the internship and have started my third week. I don’t know where it will lead me but hopefully somewhere good.
The best advice I can give to those getting ready to graduate or who are just entering college, definitely look into making an appointment with the Career Advancement Center. The gentleman I talked to was Mr. Britt, and he was so nice. He told me that they have a four year plan for students to ensure they are on the best possible path to success. He also told me that it’s the most under-utilized office in all of Rowan. Not quite sure if he was joking or not.
The next best piece of advice I can offer is get involved on campus and outside of it. I am sure everyone tells students this, but it is the truth. Get involved in clubs, sports, extracurriculars of all kinds, and volunteer. I volunteer during the summer at Fort Mott in Pennsville, and they are always looking for more volunteers. This looks fantastic on resumes! It also helps build connections and networks that maybe you can call on upon graduation. Hopefully this inspires you to further strive for success or even make an appointment with Career Advancement. You never know what the future holds.