While looking through my Facebook account recently, the Communications Department at Otterbein University posted a question for alumni. The question was what advice you have for those who are graduating from college and I couldn't help but think back to when I walked across the commencement stage three years ago to earn my degree. I thought I knew a lot at that time but didn't quite expect what it would be like to leave college and enter the so-called "real world."
I've learned a lot in the three years since I graduated college and here is the advice I would give to any college graduate:
1) Learn to Network - The connections you make and the relationships you build will pave the path for you down the road. Take the time to network as a young professional, develop relationships with others and build a business foundation. You will never know what opportunities can arise from keeping in touch with these contacts and where your career will go from there
2) Take Time To Meet New People- This might sound obvious but if you are moving back home from being away for a while or moving to a new city, it might be a little lonelier then you anticipated. When I moved back to the Cleveland area after living in Columbus for my four years of college, it was a bit lonely for me at times mainly because my foundation of friends was no longer there and I hadn't spent that much time in the area during college. What helped me was taking time to join some of the local young professional business groups, networking, the Cleveland Hockey Boosters and even Match.com to meet new people. Some other friends of mine have utilized Meetup.com to meet new people and others have joined local sports leagues or gone onto Craigslist to find opportunities to meet new people. No matter where you end up, take time to meet new people and build friendships from that
3) No Matter How Far You Go, Don't Forget Those Who Have Helped You Along The Way - Take time to keep in touch with old college professors, friends and others that helped you reach this point in your life. Continue to maintain those relationships and staying in touch will be meaningful to the other person
Showing posts with label advice for college seniors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advice for college seniors. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Advice For Soon To Be College Graduates
As your college career is nearing a close, decisions about the future will have to be made as you get closer to walking across the stage to receive your degree. Thoughts as to where you want to go and what you want to achieve will have to be made and time will needed to be spent making those decisions.
As you make your decisions as to what path you want to pursue next, don't forget the fun times that made your college experience and the friends you have made. In addition to deciding where to go next, take time to do the following:
1) Enjoy the simple aspects of college that made your experience fun- almost every college campus has a tradition or two that you may have taken part of (at Otterbein where I went, one of the most popular were late night doughnut runs to Schnieder's Bakery in Uptown Westerville). Take time to enjoy these simple pleasures a few more times before you graduate
2) Spend time with the people who became your friends during your college career - chances are, friendships made up a good part of your college experience and take time to hang out, spend time and socialize with those who helped make your time in school fun
3) Thank those who helped you along the way - take time to thank professors, mentors or people who gave you an internship during your college career and helped you out. A simple e-mail or a thank you note could go a long way
As you make your decisions as to what path you want to pursue next, don't forget the fun times that made your college experience and the friends you have made. In addition to deciding where to go next, take time to do the following:
1) Enjoy the simple aspects of college that made your experience fun- almost every college campus has a tradition or two that you may have taken part of (at Otterbein where I went, one of the most popular were late night doughnut runs to Schnieder's Bakery in Uptown Westerville). Take time to enjoy these simple pleasures a few more times before you graduate
2) Spend time with the people who became your friends during your college career - chances are, friendships made up a good part of your college experience and take time to hang out, spend time and socialize with those who helped make your time in school fun
3) Thank those who helped you along the way - take time to thank professors, mentors or people who gave you an internship during your college career and helped you out. A simple e-mail or a thank you note could go a long way
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Advice For College Graduates
With college graduation just around the corner, plans about the future and what to do after you walk across the stage to get your degree will have to be made. Making the transition from college student to young professional is a tough one to make but below are some tips for making that adjustment:
1) Take Time To Get Out and Meet New People - There may be a chance you could be moving to another city or town to get your career started and you may not know a lot of people to hang out with after work. Take some time to get adjusted to your new schedule but take time to join clubs, organizations or find different ways to get out of the house or apartment and meet new people. Larger cities have young professionals organizations, people utilize web-sites like MeetUp.com or Match.com to meet new people and there is always the Internet to help you find local organizations that meet your interests. In order to make new friends, you have to take time to meet new people.
2) Take Time To Adjust To Your New Schedule- Chances are, you may not be able to have the same sleep schedule you had in college and you may need to take time to adjust to getting up earlier, working a longer day and getting a routine that suits you. Take time to plan your days as to when you need to get up, how long it takes to get ready, how long it takes to get to work and plan accordingly.
3) Have Network Contacts as Support- Starting a new job may be a bit stressful, however, having network contacts in your field can help. You never know when you might need advice on how to handle a situation at work, how to improve your performance or adjust to a new schedule. Having these contacts can help as you make your way into the world.
4) No Matter How Far You Go, Don't Forget Those Who Helped You Along The Way- Take time to keep in touch with those who helped you along the way. Don't forget those who helped you reach your goals and take time to send e-mails, send messages, have lunch, etc.
1) Take Time To Get Out and Meet New People - There may be a chance you could be moving to another city or town to get your career started and you may not know a lot of people to hang out with after work. Take some time to get adjusted to your new schedule but take time to join clubs, organizations or find different ways to get out of the house or apartment and meet new people. Larger cities have young professionals organizations, people utilize web-sites like MeetUp.com or Match.com to meet new people and there is always the Internet to help you find local organizations that meet your interests. In order to make new friends, you have to take time to meet new people.
2) Take Time To Adjust To Your New Schedule- Chances are, you may not be able to have the same sleep schedule you had in college and you may need to take time to adjust to getting up earlier, working a longer day and getting a routine that suits you. Take time to plan your days as to when you need to get up, how long it takes to get ready, how long it takes to get to work and plan accordingly.
3) Have Network Contacts as Support- Starting a new job may be a bit stressful, however, having network contacts in your field can help. You never know when you might need advice on how to handle a situation at work, how to improve your performance or adjust to a new schedule. Having these contacts can help as you make your way into the world.
4) No Matter How Far You Go, Don't Forget Those Who Helped You Along The Way- Take time to keep in touch with those who helped you along the way. Don't forget those who helped you reach your goals and take time to send e-mails, send messages, have lunch, etc.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
College Seniors: What Is It Going To Take To Reach Your Goals?
With spring rapidly approaching, decisions about your life after college will have to be made. Decisions as to where you want to go in life, what you want to achieve and where you want to live will have to be considered before you walk across the stage and earn your degree. These decisions may not be easy but taking the time to understand where you want to go can help you in the end. After you decide where you want to go, you have to ask yourself what is it going to take to reach your goals.
As you plan your life after college, take some time to determine where you want to be one year, five years and maybe even 10 years after graduating. Do you want to go back to school at one point? Do you want to be a manager for the company you work for? Do you want to work for a large sized company? Take several minutes to decide how you want to start off, where you want to be five years after that and what you want to achieve ten years down the road.
Once your goals are set, you need to ask yourself one simple question:
"What is it going to take to achieve these goals?"
Goals are always at the top of the cliff, however, you need to know how you are going to climb up the mountain to reach them. What steps will you need to take to get better at your job? What additional training or information will you need? It is questions like these that will help you plan the steps you will need to take to reach your goals and understand what it is going to take to reach your dreams.
For example, let's say you have a goal to become a ear, nose and throat doctor. What schools do you want to go to for medical school that will give you the best training before your residency? If so, how do you plan on getting into those schools? What score will you need on the MCATS to get in? These are all questions that will answer what it will take for you to reach that goal of becoming an ear, nose and throat doctor. After you answer these, you will have the plan set up in place to reach that goal and understand what it will take.
As your time is winding down in college, decisions will have to be made about your future and goals will need to be set. If you understand what you want to achieve, you will need to understand what you need to do to reach those dreams of yours.
As you plan your life after college, take some time to determine where you want to be one year, five years and maybe even 10 years after graduating. Do you want to go back to school at one point? Do you want to be a manager for the company you work for? Do you want to work for a large sized company? Take several minutes to decide how you want to start off, where you want to be five years after that and what you want to achieve ten years down the road.
Once your goals are set, you need to ask yourself one simple question:
"What is it going to take to achieve these goals?"
Goals are always at the top of the cliff, however, you need to know how you are going to climb up the mountain to reach them. What steps will you need to take to get better at your job? What additional training or information will you need? It is questions like these that will help you plan the steps you will need to take to reach your goals and understand what it is going to take to reach your dreams.
For example, let's say you have a goal to become a ear, nose and throat doctor. What schools do you want to go to for medical school that will give you the best training before your residency? If so, how do you plan on getting into those schools? What score will you need on the MCATS to get in? These are all questions that will answer what it will take for you to reach that goal of becoming an ear, nose and throat doctor. After you answer these, you will have the plan set up in place to reach that goal and understand what it will take.
As your time is winding down in college, decisions will have to be made about your future and goals will need to be set. If you understand what you want to achieve, you will need to understand what you need to do to reach those dreams of yours.
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