There’s nothing easy about being a college student trying to find a career. From grad school to navigating the professional world to choosing a career path, there are so many different things to juggle and consider. But never fear! Some of our graduating seniors (we’ll miss you!) have words of wisdom to help us along the way.
On Being At Skidmore:
“Try everything and expect that not everything is going to go according to plan” – Sarah Roscher
“Keep an open mind and definitely go to other departments. Don’t freak out, because there’s always time.” – Caylyn Sullivan
“Go to the alumni and networking events. Make sure you get business cards from people and follow up! Also, never waste a summer. Either do an internship or take classes or get a job. You can even get a waitressing job or cleaning job, it doesn’t matter.” – Annie Wu
“Use Your Resources. Career services, advisors, parents, parents’ friends, books, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of people who have been in your place at one point in another and who can give you good advice on what it takes. If you aren’t sure what first step to take (or fourth, or fifth), just start talking to people and find out what challenges they faced and how they overcame them. Every piece of information you get is a blueprint to how to solve those problems yourself.” – Scott Galante
On Choosing a Path:
“If you have to take a GRE or MCAT or graduate exam, at the very latest do it the summer before senior year. If you’re going right to graduate school, don’t be afraid to take summer classes. And don’t be afraid to take time off in between! There’s always time to change your mind.”- Aly Kessner
“My philosophy has always been do what feels right, and that’s always done me really well. It just takes a little self-awareness and a little time.” – Chris Lord
“Don’t rush to figure out what you want to do. Take time off and take as much time as you need.” – Anya Cutler
“Do Your Homework. There are a lot of people out there working and sending out a lot of resumes to get jobs out there, so be better. Find out what the company you’re applying for does, find out their history, tailor your cover letter to each application, make sure your resume is well formatted, find out what skillsets are needed in the industry you’re going into and build those skillsets, and interview higher management to find out how they got to where they are. Invest in yourself (learn Excel, Word, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, cooking, organizational skills, etc.). All of the work you put in will not only help you during the job seeking process, but also afterwards when you get a job and need to work.” – Scott Galante
On Finding a Job:
“You have to be really patient. Have faith. Also, be proactive. But on the other hand, go for anything. I’ve been going on Craigslist every few days.” – Rachel Bier
“Don’t stress about it, and be patient. It’s going to take a long time.” – Sam Leibenhaut
“Be persistent, and just keep trekking through. Every time I get a rejection, I submit a new application.” – Rachel Sotak
“Ask for things and follow up with people. No one is just going to give you an internship, and the odds of you getting picked out of a stack of a hundred resumes is slim to none. So, send it out to a lot of places, and be forward. There are a lot of people who are dropping off their resumes via e-mails and leaving, but not a lot of people following up with a phone call. Show the places you’re applying to that you care and are serious about working there, but don’t be disrespectful. There’s a difference between being forward and being entitled.” – Scott Galante
“A piece of advice that my brother gave me: I’d rather regret doing something than not doing something.” – Rachel Sotak
“Set small goals. One of my favorite quotes is: ‘action is the antidote to despair.’ It means don’t ruminate on the bad things, take action to create a better reality for yourself.” – Lisa Krauss
“When you’re looking for jobs, don’t automatically cross something out because you think you won’t like it. Don’t limit yourself.” – Leo Cancelmo
“Remember what you do want to do and focus on it, rather than getting sucked in to something else.” – Nathaniel Moore
It’s no secret that it’s scary to graduate, let alone in this economy. While planning for the future may seem like it’s years away for some of us, our graduates know a thing or two on how to prepare for it, and how to do it early. Congratulations to the Class of 2012 and good luck! We’ll miss you!