As strange as it may sound, college is comparable to a buffet—there are so many options at hand that it can easily become overwhelming to be a student. There are countless activities, classes, clubs, and majors to choose from during your undergraduate career that it can become difficult to hone in on one specific area of interest. As graduation trickles closer and closer, building a professional profile and pondering what type of career would be suitable for you becomes increasingly more important.
Graduation is like the final curtain call, the culminating moment that ties the entire story together. It’s a launching pad into a world of opportunity, and, as students, we can’t go a day without being reminded of it by parents, professors, colleagues, and friends. We are all aware of just how important it is to emerge into the job market with the right amount of ambition, experience, and connections, but one question never fails to loom over our heads:
Where do we begin this process?
“Make connections,” they say. “Gain experience,” they say. “Discover your passion,” they say. In reality, it’s all fun and games until you have a strategic process in exploring those three avenues. Ambiguity can really be the killjoy of success, so developing a plan can do wonders in helping you kickstart your career, even as a college student.
Following these three components will set you on track to seeing the success you’ve always dreamed of coming to fruition:
1. Chase after ANYTHING that ignites your passion.
Like I mentioned before, us college students are lucky to have a buffet-style of opportunities just lying out for us to explore. That being said, while trying out different classes, clubs, internships, and jobs, it’s important to notice how you feel while doing them. There’s a stark difference between doing something because you have to do it and doing something because you want to do it. The former can lead to issues down the line because it can be a destructive mindset to fall into. For example, taking a job you hate just because it pays well will only leave you unsatisfied and resentful in the future. Find what you love now so you aren’t kicking yourself later.
Passion is something that’s hard to describe, but hard to ignore. It almost feels like having butterflies in your stomach when you see someone you like. For me, writing articles ignites my passion in a way that’s hard to explain. When I string words together to make a story, it’s something that I find to be extremely fun and fulfilling. What ignites one person’s passion may not be the same for the next person, but there’s something out there for everyone. Once you start feeling that twang of excitement, you know you’re on the right track. Follow that feeling, get involved with opportunities that allow you to explore it, and eventually, it can turn into a career.
2. Establish a good work ethic.
“It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.” Does that phrase sound familiar? In a world where networking has become almost vital to career success, it’s easy to think that just knowing someone important can land you a perfect job. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. While my next point will highlight the benefits and importance of networking, establishing a good work ethic before linking up with important people in your career is instrumental in success. Knowing people can only go so far if you haven’t been putting in the required effort in your work.
Once you find something you love to do, go crazy with it. If you love to write, try to get published as often as you can. If you’re interested in a certain club, try to secure a leadership position in it to get more involved in the work. If you’re interested in public relations, for example, try to secure an internship in that field to gain experience. While you’re establishing this work ethic, treat everything you do like it’s a job, even if you’re not getting paid. Showing up on time, producing quality work, and showing enthusiasm for what you’re doing speaks volumes about the kind of values you carry as a person.
3. Network at every chance you get.
Once you are aware of your passion and have a credible work ethic, the last component to success is knowing the right people. I’ll be honest, networking was something that intimidated me in the past. It was something that I didn’t know how to approach, and mastering LinkedIn seemed like a feat in itself. After putting myself in networking events and working to curate my LinkedIn profile, I’ve realized that the best advice would be to start small. You probably won’t meet the right people overnight, but with practice, you’ll be able to grow your network before your eyes.
Andrew Vest from Forbes makes a great point that has changed the way I view the networking process. Vest stresses the importance of seeing networking as a mutually beneficial process in which both parties are gaining something from the interaction. Instead of seeing networking as a way to simply advance your career, see it as a way to build a relationship with someone new. At the end of the day, success is meaningless if you’re not a good person. Being a positive and friendly person will do more for you in life than focusing strictly on accolades, promotions, and personal gain.
After following these three steps, you can turn your college buffet into a five-star, main course dish! It’s important to remember that, even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your life, you still have worth. You will find your way along, and see this time in college as a multitude of learning experiences. Your path will unfold for you in ways you may never expect, but just know that you will eventually end up exactly where you need to be.