They say hindsight is 2020, and I for one seem to live with that phrase as my motto.
As a senior in college, I thought I had everything figured out. I have taken all the classes required and some fun ones, I have done internships, had real world experiences and brushed up on my professional skills quite a bit.
But after sitting down to apply to the big adult jobs, I’ve realized that while most of the skills I’ve gathered while in college were great, there’s many more that I should’ve worked on.
1. Look at required skills for the jobs you want
As a designer, I have been looking at a lot of jobs and have been feeling more and more hopeless as I apply to them, because some of the skills that are required for the positions I want are skills that I barely have. For some of the jobs I want, I need to learn how to use certain software, and I have no clue how to work them at all. I know that we have wonderful classes that are immersive and teach you a lot about the software, but in my final semester, there isn’t a lot I can do to teach myself those skills.
2. Get as many mentors as you can
Getting mentors is really important, and having mentors for different parts of your life is definitely a good way of building your network and your communication skills. Oswego has a way for students to connect with alumni but also having professors and other faculty as mentors can be really helpful. Having mentors helps you connect with multiple people, and even though they might not know someone in your field of work, they might know someone who knows someone, which helps to build a network.
3. Say fuck it sometimes
I feel like I spent a lot of my time in college doing homework and stressing about school more than having fun. As I’ve come closer to the end of my undergraduate career, I’ve realized that I’ve missed a lot of opportunities to have fun and make memories because I was too worried about arbitrary things that do not affect me at all now. Take time for yourself and make memories. While academia is important, it should not be your entire life.
4. Don’t take yourself or others too seriously
One of the biggest things I’ve gotten upset about is my interactions with people or losing friends and making friends constantly during college. I have now come to realize that everyone spends only some period of their time with you, and you should cherish your time with them rather than worrying too much about the future or the past. That being said, don’t let toxic behavior go just because you want to have friends. Know your worth but also realize that a lot of the people you meet in college, you might never see again and just enjoy the time you have with them.