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.
In the book Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative,
Ken Robinson, describes that the
key to enjoying work is being in your element. “Being in your element is not only about
aptitude, it’s about passion: it is about loving what you do. One of the signs
of being in your element is that time changes and an hour can feel like five
minutes. You look up and you wonder where the time went. If you are not in your
element, five minutes can feel like an hour. The clock seems to have stopped”
(p. 227).
Ken Robinson, describes that the
key to enjoying work is being in your element. “Being in your element is not only about
aptitude, it’s about passion: it is about loving what you do. One of the signs
of being in your element is that time changes and an hour can feel like five
minutes. You look up and you wonder where the time went. If you are not in your
element, five minutes can feel like an hour. The clock seems to have stopped”
(p. 227).
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until you are stuck in a
job on a linear path from assistant to manager to senior level executive to
find out that you are not in your element. College
provides many opportunities for you to experiment with different career paths
and interests.
- Intern
- Get Involved in Student Organizations
- Take Electives
- Network with Individuals in Your Field of Interest (and conduct informational interviews)
- Work on Campus (you never know, you may turn that part-time recreation job into a full-time one)
- Try free online courses
Take charge of your college experience and spend quality
time learning, meeting new people, and trying new things. You never know, maybe
you’ll find a calling in sports management or nursing.
Continue experimenting with career options until you find
the one that lights a fire inside of you. Look for a career that will get you
to jump out of the bed in the morning to go to work and come home from work
excited about the next day. Don’t opt for the career path that is safe or
stable, if you have a passion for something (whether it’s art, theatre,
surgery, fighting fires, or teaching) you’re more likely to spend time learning
the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in that career field.
Even if you do not find the career that will allow you to “be
in your element,” you will at least have a chance in college to narrow down
your career path by eliminating certain fields.
The key to a successful college career is to have an idea of
what career path you want to follow by the time you graduate and the skills,
knowledge, and connections to help you find a job in that field.
Good one about graduation and confidence. Exploring different options to pursue my degree in gaming.
I've been trying to tell my daughter this same exact thing! Be confident, life has just started. Glad someone else agrees with me. I've been showing her some graduation slogans that are really inspirational. I'll post them here for you: Graduation Slogans