Being a senior in college feels awesome at first.
Initially, you’re hit by that same feeling you got in high school when you burned your SAT books and screamed, ‘Fuck this, I’m FREE’ to the world.
Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities end. Being a senior in college is not much like being a senior in high school. This time around, you have about four months to decide who you’re going to be after that hot May graduation day.
And although some people think the answers will come to them in April, others are aware that to be successful, we need to plan ahead.
So it’s October. You’re a senior, and you have absolutely no idea what you’re going to do with a subject you spent four years studying. In fact, you’re so over whatever you majored in that the only thing you’re sure about is that you never want a job in that subject.
Via: Flickr
“Sixty percent of U.S. college graduates cannot find a full-time job in their chosen profession,” according to job placement firm Adecco.
With statistics like these, it’s no wonder we’re discouraged from entering the workplace.
It seems like everyone around you knows exactly what kind of professional school or internship he or she is getting after graduation, and suddenly you feel trapped. Your options are A) Ignore graduation all together, after all your parents will keep supporting you, B) Add on a minor or a double major, most people take five years anyways or C) Be proactive and start looking for something to do after college.
If you picked option C, then you’ve got a long October ahead of you, but it’s definitely worth all the stress.
If you’re stuck in the in-between of graduating from a place that basically handed you a degree in keg stands and feeling like you’re not prepared to tackle the real world then here’s what you need to do.
Apply to internships – both paid and unpaid. Wait, weren’t internships for high school and college summers to keep my parents off my back? Yes, but they can also be helpful in getting your foot in the door of any business or person for whom you want to work.
Everyone appreciates someone who will work for free and, although it may be annoying to work without pay for a year, your experience will pay off in the long run. Also, many people get hired after interning. So, find something you could potentially see yourself doing and start sending out applications. Make sure each cover letter is both sincere and personal because companies will throw out generic cover letters that you’ve clearly sent to 10 competitors.
Via: CUA
Email, email, email. If you have no clue what job you could possibly get, then look for people who inspire you. Try to find someone who has a job that you could see yourself doing and email them. People love flattery, so tell them how much you love their work and ask whether they have any sage advice to offer. You may be surprised at both the helpful advice and the doors that flattery will open up for you. Be patient and persistent, just like ordering Starbucks during finals week. Let them know your there, without screaming out that you want something.
Search for grad schools. I know you swore to the Lord above that you would never take another test after graduation day, but graduate school prolongs you entering the grueling workforce for another 2-5 years, so can it be that bad? Start looking in cities you might like to live in and explore their university’s programs. Having a Master’s can only benefit you in the workplace. Even if you major in Art History, you can apply to Film school or even Culinary school! Universities are full of interesting post-graduate opportunities, so search and find something in which you could be interested. It’s always nice to have grad school as a backup option.
Get a Job. You may be bussing tables or taking orders at McDonald’s for the next year but making some extra cash can be useful as you contemplate your future. Moving back home can also be helpful if you decide to take this route, because you can save up until you have enough to support yourself and your closet-sized studio in lower Manhattan.
Via: Texags
Exploit your connections. Everyone does it. Yeah, yeah, you want to do it all on your own. Good luck. People in this world thrive off connections and networking. Use your parents’ friends, your social organizations, your teachers, your friends, that guy you met at a bar one time who knows someone who worked for Google once. Get out your phone, and start making calls. A lot of job opportunities come from word of mouth, so these connections can be incredibly helpful when getting your foot in the door of your desired industry. Remember it only takes that one phone call that gets you somewhere to make the difference between, “I got a job interning at E!” and, “Oh, I spent the past year studying for the GRE on my parents’ couch.”
You may feel super overwhelmed now and will have a nagging bug in your stomach that won’t subside until you start this tedious process. But you’ll thank me later when your parents can brag about you to their friends, whose kids have come back to the nest with no intention of leaving. Putting yourself out there for jobs is just as terrifying as walking over to the hot stranger at Cantina, but rejection is a part of life. It’s better to try and fail then to never know. Good luck class of 2015 and may the odds be ever in our favor.
Featured photo courtesy of: Alive Campus
