Thinking about your future can be stressful. There have been times when I’ve just been in my room, watching the latest rom-com on Netflix or attempting to do my homework when the dreaded thought, “What am I even going to do with my life?” pops into my head, and I start spiraling, searching for answers. Whether it’s to ease your anxiety or make you feel more confident about your next steps in your career, here are five tips that will help.
- Visit University Career Services!
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If you’re feeling completely lost about what you want to do, visit University Career Services. UNC-CH’s Career Services is located on north campus at Hanes Hall. You can schedule an appointment there, and drop-in hours are available from Monday to Friday from 1 to 4 pm! Career Services has tons of information, whether you have questions about how to write a cover letter and resume for a job, or about what potential careers can look like. Furthermore, you can sit down with people around your age, if that makes you feel more comfortable. I went to Career Services last year, even though I had a set plan, just to feel more confident when applying for jobs this summer. Learn more about Career Services at UNC here.
- Make a LinkedIn!
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Trust me, I get it, LinkedIn can be intimidating and confusing. I didn’t make a profile until April of this year, and I only did so because it made it easier to apply for a summer job. But once I got used to the site, I fell in love. LinkedIn is a wonderful networking tool. Yes, you can connect with your fellow friends, peers and family members, but you can also connect with people in the career path in which you want to work. I’ve made wonderful connections through LinkedIn, and I feel much more confident about my career path, now that I have established some of those communications. If you think it’s too early to make a LinkedIn, it’s not! It’s better to be proactive than wish you did something differently, years in the future.
- Research the Career Paths You Can Take with Your Major!
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So you might be thinking, how do I research career paths? The answer is simple: Google. Back in the day, when I knew I was going to be an English and Women and Gender Studies double major, I let other people’s judgments get to me. The “oh,” followed by polite smiles and the questions about if I wanted to teach were, and are, never ending. Therefore, to get over my own insecurities about my major, I looked into what exactly I could do with my major. Let me tell you, the options are essentially endless, and I’m sure the same is true for your major. The more you research, the more you’ll feel in tune with your career path and your future, and the less you’ll be freaking out in junior or senior year.
- Find Companies that Align with Your Dreams!
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Once again, you might be wondering how to find these companies. This is where LinkedIn and your personal research align. If you find a career path that interests you based on your research, look up those jobs on LinkedIn. Try to find people who have those jobs or similar ones, and then go to their profile. On their profile, you can track their career path and see the companies for which they’ve worked. By doing this, I’ve discovered several trends for making it in the publishing business. For instance, I’ve noticed that many editors got their start on digital publications or interning for smaller publishing houses and working their way up, so I applied that to my own life. In doing so, I feel like I’m on the right track, and I don’t have nearly as many existential crises about my future. Plus, I wrote “dreams” for a reason. Don’t always go the safe route – research about what makes you excited or nervous. The worst thing that can happen if you take risks while applying for jobs in the future is a rejection. Rejection is much better than a what-if.
- Talk with Your Friends and Peers in Your Major!
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We’ve all watched Tangled and have sung along to “Mother Knows Best,” but sometimes it’s just easier to talk to your friends or to people your own age about your future. By having candid conversations with your friends or peers with similar or the same major(s) as you, you can learn a lot. For instance, I didn’t know about Algonquin Books, the publisher I interned with last semester, until my friend told me about it. No matter how much research you do, it’s always comforting to turn to someone who is in the same boat as you, who knows exactly how you feel. Not only can they ease your anxiety, but they might even give you great advice or mention opportunities you haven’t heard of before.
Planning for your future and your career can be stressful, but hopefully these five tips can help you become more confident in your studies, your work and yourself! The world is your oyster; you just have to do a little research to find your pearl! And by pearl, I mean your dream job. I’ll leave you off with a bad metaphor and, hopefully, some research to do!