With the status of the economy today jobs are becoming harder and harder to find after graduation. College graduates with degrees in every field (Engineering, Biochemistry, Humanities, and Political Science just to name a few) are having a lot of trouble finding jobs after graduation. Many of these graduates end up working in administrative assistant jobs or interning because there aren't any other options. According to the CNN Money article Have Degree - and Pink Slip, "There are currently a record number of unemployed college graduates seeking work. So many, in fact, that they outnumber high school dropouts on the job hunt" (CNN Money.com).
If you want to get ahead of the game, then Graduating with Confidence is the perfect book for you. This book will show you how to make the most of your time outside of the classroom in order to define your career goals and take the extra initiative you will need to get that dream job.
You have probably heard the saying, “it’s not about what you know…it’s about who you know.” Well, actually, it's about who you know and who knows you! The more connections you make, the more people who you can reach out to for advice, support, and internship/job opportunities.
Networking has many benefits that reach way beyond the classroom and, most notably, into your future career. Every college offers many networking opportunities. You can even start networking before the first day of classes!
Let’s start with orientation. During my freshman year, one of my colleagues (an Environmental Science major) took the initiative to talk to and thank a faculty member (from Scripps Institute of Oceanography) who did a presentation during orientation. Two years later, my colleague was looking for an internship and she decided to email the faculty member she first met at orientation to ask for recommendations. The faculty member was able to set her up with an amazing research opportunity at Scripps Institute, which then helped her find a full-time job after graduation.
While orientation is a great place to start for networking, there are many other ways to make connections during college – consider your roommates, teammates, organization members, internship supervisors, professors, and staff.
After graduation, I decided to start a surfing school, which would raise money to save acres of rainforest in Costa Rica. Starting a company from scratch, without any prior business or marketing classes, was tough. However, I was able to get support and advice from a few of my connections from my time spent at UC San Diego. My internship supervisor had owned a surfing school in the past – he helped me with ideas about how to run a company and what to offer. A friend of mine, who I had met from an organization, offered to help do all of my PR/marketing work pro-bono to help my company and build her resume. At an alumni association event, I met a UC San Diego Alumni who started his own company. He helped me with all of the paperwork, insurance, and tax forms.Every event that you attend and every opportunity that you take advantage of you should try to make at least three contacts (business cards, facebook friends, email addresses). The best thing you can do after that is to follow-up with the person with an email (“It was great meeting you...”) so that they have your contact information. You never know - your roommate, colleague, or professor could set you up with the internship or career of your dreams.
