When I was a freshman in college, I heard about the career center, and while I passed the door to the office every day on my way to class, I never dared to venture inside. It wasn’t until the middle of my sophomore that I made an appointment with the office, and my only regret is that I didn’t go sooner. Other students I know have other career regrets and wish that someone had given them the heads up when they were just starting college.
While every college differs, there are lots of career opportunities on campus that I guarantee most students are not leveraging. What are the top three? Check them out for yourself.
1. Talking to Someone in Real-Time About Specific Career Questions
If you have any anxiety about interviews or the interview process or want someone to double-check your resume for typos, don’t fret; many career centers can set up mock interviews with professional counselors, and they have staff on hand who can give your resume that final look. This will help you prepare answers to frequently asked interview questions while also working on your etiquette and attire, and they can pick up on things you didn’t catch in application materials.
Furthermore, don’t underestimate how much other people on campus, like professors or administrators, can also answer questions you may have about a specific field. The bottom line? There’s a lot more help out there than you think, and you should take it!
2. Learning About On-Campus Events
Before I went to the career center at my school, I didn’t even know where to start. I didn’t know that it had a website or a student portal where I could sign up for lectures, workshops, information sessions, or conferences.
Many students aren’t aware of the breadth of opportunities available to them on campus that could really help their careers. For instance, the career center or an academic department could bring a renowned expert in the field you hope to pursue to you. Why wouldn’t you take the chance to see what that industry is all about? Keep an eye out for posters, and see if there’s a specific email list or Facebook group you can follow to get these types of updates.
3. Getting in Touch With Helpful Alumni and Parents
Additionally, the career center or alumni office can put you in contact with alumni, both recently graduated and further along in their careers, with similar goals and aspirations as you. You can also get in contact with parents of fellow students so you can find out if their companies are hiring.
In addition, finding out your dislikes is important, and talking to as many people as possible (and using their connections to snag a job or internship) can be crucial. The career center and your college’s alumni network don’t just want to just help you find a job that pays the bills; they want to help you find a job that you will love. To do that, it is important to understand what you don’t want to do.
For example, I have an older friend who was dead set on majoring in biology, so for two years, she took nothing but science courses. After checking out her options, she got some help getting internships working in labs, shadowing doctors, typing up reports, the works. She had all these great opportunities and experiences, but through them, she realized that the professions that suited a biology major were not for her. She changed her major to creative writing and never looked back, and she wouldn’t have been able to do that without the exposure she got.
And let’s face it, all of us college students really want to prove that our parents are wrong and we are, right? Right?
Forging ahead with your career while on campus is an overwhelmingly positive thing that will do nothing but enhance your overall college experience. Get started sooner rather than later!
