By Annika Rittenhouse
I have now told you a lot of things I recommend that you do, but here are some things I would say NOT to do:
* Do not forget about your grades- it will come back to bite you and it would be unfortunate to be ineligible because your grades were too low.
* Do not assume internships will find you- they won’t. You need to actively seek them out and it can take a lot of work sometimes, but in the end it will be worth it.
* Do not get down on yourself for not finding jobs/getting call backs- You are going to need to apply to hundreds of jobs before you get a call back sometimes. It may feel bleak but at some point you will find a job that suites you and it may take some time, be patient and start early!
* Do not wait until your senior year to do an internship- this can work, but in most cases having multiple internships is what is going to give you the experience and skills you need for the real world.
* Do not get stuck in the stereotype of what your major says you should do. Your major does not have to dictate the type of job that you apply to or choose. Choose something you are interested, even if it is not something that relates to your major.
* Do not let opportunities pass you by- they may not come around all that often, and you have 4 years in college, take some time to do something different!
* Do not do the same thing for all 4 years of college. Take risks, try new things, otherwise you will never know what you enjoy, hate and have a passion for.
What I didn’t do that you should:
I did not start early when it came to looking for internships. I had done a great job of taking opportunities when they came to me, but I was a step behind when it came to internships. Lucky for me I had that extra quarter to fit in exactly the kind of experience that got me to where I am today- so starting early is key! I also didn’t look for jobs early enough (again had I not had that extra quarter I would have been way behind). A lot of companies hire fall of senior year and I had not even started looking at that point in college. So make sure you are prepared early! Most of the most useful things I did, I took advantage of in those extra few months I got because I extended. Such as my internship with the State Department, working at the Career Center, and applying to big companies in the fall all of which I should have done early in my senior year had I not extended. There are a lot of things I did well and a lot of things I could have done better, but these are just some of the suggestions I can give based upon what worked and did not work for me and the people around me. I hope you find them helpful and if nothing else make you think about some of these topics in deeper sense.
Visit Annika’s Blog at https://sites.google.com/site/annikaadvice/about-me
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Sound advice! Cheers
“* Do not let opportunities pass you by- they may not come around all that often, and you have 4 years in college, take some time to do something different!”
This is the best bit of advice I have read on the internet for a very long time, take a risk do something different.
Great piece of information. Once an opportunity has passed, it cannot be caught. So one should not wait for opportunities to come and knock at their doors.
I am a chiropractor in St George UT, and I look at our 13% unemployment down here and worry about the kids just getting out of school. If I were finishing my BS now, I think I’d stay in school to get a masters. Maybe by the time I’d be done, the job market might improve.
Its a massively competitive field out there and a down economy. Choose your career direction well and always have a back up. Any work is better than no work, as long as you keep working on your goals, whether that be night class or not.
Hi,
This is my first visit here and i found this post really interesting. First time i have seen a post which says “things not to do”. These are really helpful. Thanks for sharing it.
i have seen “what to do” but never seen “not to do” good article 😀
Sound advice, never wait for opportunities to come to you, go out and grab them.