What You Can Do Each Year of College to Prepare for a Successful Future Post Graduation
Set yourself up for success in your post-grad life. Here is what you should be doing each year of college to prepare for a smooth transition from college to career.
First Year
Join a registered student organization related to your major. This will help you build skills, begin to network, and give you some background in your field. Participating in RSOs can also help you gain relevant experience that will be beneficial when you are applying for career related internships.
Create a LinkedIn and start making connections. You can add professors, classmates, coworkers, friends, and more! It is never too early to start building your network.
Update your resume with college involvement and your most recent experiences.
Second Year
Apply for leadership roles in your career related RSO. This experience will allow you to build transferable skills you can utilize in other aspects of college and after graduation.
Add relevant coursework to your resume. At this point you are likely in some major-specific classes where you are learning valuable information for your career. This can supplement work experience that may be less relevant to your career goals.
Apply for internships. Start to build your work experience now so you can figure out what you are interested in. Some internships recruit months ahead of time, and you can always have more than one internship in college.
Third Year
Expand your skill set. You have now taken a few courses specific to your major. If there is something that employers are looking for that you notice you are lacking, take some time to teach yourself. Take an online course, learn a new system, or research top skills in your field.
Reach out to professors, alumni, and classmates to continue to build your network. LinkedIn and Husker Connect are great tools to make connections.
Find a mentor who you can reach out to for help and career advice. Connecting with professors, alumni, or professionals in your field will provide you with advice and encouragement, and be there for any questions you might have.
Fourth Year
Spruce up your resume. Include everything that has helped you prepare for your upcoming career whether that is involvement in an RSO, relevant course work, internships, skills you have learned, etc.
Build a post grad action plan. Think about where you want to live, create a budget, find housing, and apply for jobs. Having a plan will help reduce stress as you get closer to graduation.
Build healthy habits like time management, financial planning and organization. Practicing these now will create habits that your future self will thank you for.