When I started my senior year in college (about a
year ago), getting a job was the last thing I wanted to think about.
Despite my efforts to put it off, I, like most college seniors,
eventually had to go through the process. Below are some of the biggest
issues I had with the whole thing along with some advice- not really
tips on how to get a job so much as some general misconceptions people
have before they get into the thick of things.
It takes up too much time while in school!
Senior
year courses are difficult enough as it is and besides, it's your last
year of college- you want to be living it up with friends, not off
worrying about your resume. The truth is that finding a job does take
up some time, but it's not as bad as it seems. More importantly if you
start early and do it in bits you'll barely notice. If you keep putting
everything off (like I did), eventually it's going to catch up to you,
and it'll be a lot more stressful when it does. And when last semester
of college rolls around, you'll want that extra time.
If I have no idea what I want to do, how can I start looking for a job?
I
actually used this as an excuse to put off my job finding process for a
while, telling myself it would just be a waste to start without knowing
what I wanted. This is WRONG. It doesn't just magically come to you
(even if it may seem like that for some people), and if you don't know,
now's the time to start looking. Talk to people, try out some
personality/career tests, and get a sense for what's out there (there's
a lot). Even before you've narrowed down an area, though, lots can be
done.
I need a job lined up by the time I graduate.
There
is a lot of pressure to get a job before you graduate, especially when
all your friends and peers are wrapped up in it too. However, 50% of
students leave college without a job, and they aren't all staying
unemployed, so clearly you don't need a job before you
graduate. That said, there are several reasons why going through the
job process while still in college is definitely recommended. You'll
have access to more resources (such as professors for references!) and
it's definitely a good idea to get your feet wet in the process while
you're still surrounded by people who can help.
I should only look at jobs based on my major or places I've interned.
The
general view now is that your major matters less and less, and to an
extent that's pretty true (otherwise what would philosophy majors do
with themselves?). You'd be surprised how many general skills you get
from any major. Things you've picked up in one area can be put to
equally good use in something completely new, and employers know this
too. Which is good because otherwise I wouldn't have the job I have now.
Deciding the rest of your life is way too much pressure!
Just
like choosing a college is big, settling on a job can be an even harder
decision. Fortunately, unlike college most jobs do not require you to
commit for more than a year or two (if at all), so if you end up hating
whatever it is you're doing, it's not the end of the world. People
change jobs so often these days it's probably a safe bet that whatever
you start doing is not going to be what you end up doing anyway. So
don't stress too much, and don't be afraid to try something out- at
worst, you'll learn a lot about yourself and what you want.
Hopefully
these tips help shed some light on what the experience is really like,
and how you can make your job search better. I tended to see the whole
thing as a big project I had no desire to start, but over time came to
realize that's not at all how it is. Most importantly, it's your future.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Finding-a-Job-While-Still-in-College---Advice-on-Career-Searching&id=1421123
