5 Things You Need To Consider Before Finishing University
College is the ideal time to begin planning for your career. Plus, when done right, it can be reasonably easy to get started. From volunteering for something you’re passionate about or finally joining that organisation you’ve always been thinking about – these small steps will only make your transition easier after graduation. Here are five things you should seriously consider doing before finishing university.
1. Find yourself an internship
University teaches us many things, but often times it is mostly (depending on your degree) theoretical work with limited practical experience. That’s why it is within your best interest to get yourself an internship before finishing university or even a part-job related to your degree. An internship is also a great opportunity for you to take all you learned, from assignment you worked on to programs you’ve used, and add them to your growing list of experiences. It gives you a competitive advantage for when you graduate and are looking for a job. Regardless of how prestigious or unreputable your university may be, employers place great value on the experience you have gained.
2. Get involved with your school and network!
Whether it’s joining a student debate team, sports club or social group on campus, you should absolutely do it. Activities outside of the classroom are an excellent way to gain vital skills like leadership, learning how to engage in networking, and collaborating with other students. It also reflects really well on your resume and will be great to share with employers you meet in the future. University should never be just about your GPA – It’s also a valuable time of life to get involved.
If you only do one thing, at least attend a networking event at your uni, and even ones you may hear about throughout your community. The more you visit now, the less you’ll need to do in the future. Sign up for events happening in your area now, and try to stay in touch with everyone you meet – you never know who could be your boss.
3. Start developing (cleaning) your social media accounts
Branding, branding, branding! It can’t be stressed enough. If you think employers never look you up on your socials, then you’ve got another thing coming- especially if you’re to use your platforms for communicating work relating matters. So first, start cleaning up your Instagram and Facebook.
Next is working on your LinkedIn account. On LinkedIn, you can connect with other students, co-workers, friends and family members. You can ever follow your favourite companies and have an easier chance of finding a volunteer or job opportunity. Overall, LinkedIn is a great way to get in front of other professionals and even hiring managers.
4. See another side of the world
Travelling before finishing university, and while you’re young, can be unlike anything you’ll ever do. It’s the ideal time to expand your horizons and embark on an adventure. You’ll meet interesting people, see new places, learn about yourself and other traditions and cultures – and realise how wrong you were about so many things. The places you travel at such an impressionable time in your life will have a long-term impact on how you see the world and how you see your home.
Seeing what life is like beyond your backyard can have a lasting impact on how you see the world. You’ll (hopefully) realise that there is so much more than what you see in your own borders. You’ll learn to appreciate how interconnected the world truly is. Seeing what the world has to offer from it people, buildings, the food and more, from different corners of the world, will give you that vital global context for both your professional and personal life.
5. Learn another language
If English is your main and only language, you may not see the value in learning another language. But wait until you start communicating with real people in another language, you’ll begin to feel your brain and perspective changing.
You become part of a more global community because of the shared experience in speaking and hearing more than one language. Also, speaking another language allows you to communicate with a whole new community of people, giving you access to a new world of literature, art and music. Each language has different ways of expressing feelings, thoughts, desires and emotions, so learning another language also gives you a tool to access various forms of expression.
