Navigating Your Final Year of College
So you’ve reached your final year of college and I’m sure you’re feeling a mix between apprehension and excitement. Graduation represents all that you’ve worked towards, but the unknown of post-grad life is uncomfortable—change is uncomfortable. You’re not alone in wondering, what’s next? 20+ years of school being the sole focus, your life is about to change significantly.
Here is a quick guide on navigating this time and finding comfort in change:
Don’t Forget to Embrace Your Final Year
Academically, it is crucial to finish strong during your final year of school. A lot of people justify slacking off if they already have a job lined up after graduation – don’t be one of those people. It’s important to keep in mind that:
1. Job offers can be retracted
2. Slacking off is an act of disrespect to the professors teaching you, to the people paying for your education, and to yourself
Make a lasting impression on your professors, especially during your final year. Professors have connections, if you are a hardworking, dedicated student you could not only gain a killer recommendation letter from them, but potentially a future career.
Preparations
Have you heard the phrase, “it’s not what you know but who you know”? There are truths in both the what and the who. At this point, you’re gaining a degree which proves what you know, now it’s time to work on the “who you know”.
1. Treat every professional conversation as a connection
2. Proactively pursue new connections
3. Take every interview and show off your best self no matter how interested you are in the job
Interviews are challenging, so take every conversation you’re offered and treat it as practice for when you secure your dream-job interview. It’s a small world, a brief conversation where you exemplify your extraordinary self could turn into a career opportunity. If you haven’t already, start building out your LinkedIn presence – post about events you attend, experiences you have (personal and professional), and the things you value in life, employers want to see the full picture of who you are.
Preparing how you present yourself on paper holds almost equal importance as how you present yourself in person. Most of the time, employers will see your resume and/or transcript before even entertaining a conversation with you. A lot of the time, students don’t have much experience to fill out an entire resume – that’s where class projects and relevant courses come in. This goes back to not slacking in your final year, take classes that will build out your resume and portfolio.
Building a Post-Grad Plan
Start your job search as soon as possible. You may not find many jobs that are hiring far out enough, but you can use those applications and conversations as practice and to get a better idea of the type of role you’d ultimately want to pursue. Research companies and job market trends to proactively plan for how you’ll acquire a job post-grad. Talk to your professors and alumni about their experience, connections, and advice – people naturally love to talk about their experiences, and most would be delighted to share those with you.
Execute the Plan
If you’ve spent the time and effort into preparing yourself for graduation, your feelings about the day of commencement should shift from half-apprehension to 100% excitement. You’ve secured a job or made other plans and you’re making a name for yourself in this world.
Remember that the connections you make in the world can propel you in the right direction, but the work that you put into yourself is what will achieve your success.