5 Pieces of Career Advice for You and Your Future Career
Written by: Jaqueline Clark, Student Assistant for Career Development
Whether you are graduating soon or later, it is stressful thinking about your professional life. You gain knowledge and experience from the internships and courses you take during college, but it still leaves students uncertain for how they will actually work their desired career. To help ease this uncertainty and stress, we provided five useful tips as you navigate the professional world:
1.) Repetition Builds Reputation
Focusing on your daily tasks builds your character within the work environment. For example, answering and responding to your emails, interacting with your work colleagues and superiors, and correcting errors in your work demonstrates reliability, accountability, and professionalism. Ultimately, you are showing that you are more than the title you possess, which builds a valuable network as you pursue other career options.
2.) Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Sometimes you have to take risks in professional life like you would in your personal life. Venturing outside your chosen career option exposes you to other options that may be more fulfilling for you. With this exposure, you have to be comfortable with a lack of knowledge and asking your peers for assistance to understand certain things. Being uncomfortable will lead to your growth professionally and personally.
3.) Remain Flexible to Think Ahead for the Future
Be aware that things (positive or negative) happen and can affect your field. So, be prepared to get uncomfortable and look at other options or skills to develop. For example, you may think about going to graduate school or taking courses on Excel or Microsoft Teams if remote options are being pushed.
4.) Don’t Rush
Take some time for yourself. If needed you can take a gap year or two to explore your interests, travel, or work in something else before jumping into your career. This break can help you explore your options and decide whether you want to make long-term commitments. Most importantly, you get time to relax after working and studying for so long, which you deserve.
5.) Measure Success Beyond Work
Keep pursuing your passions! Reading, writing, photography, knitting, and more are hobbies ensure your happiness. Sometimes work is work, and that is okay. You need to have outlets to relax. Maintain your strong connections or build new ones. You are more than your work, and you can exist outside of it.
References:
Cruzvergara, C. (n.d.). Lessons in leadership: 4 pieces of advice from a Handshake VP. Handshake. https://joinhandshake.com/blog/students/lessons-in-leadership-from-a-handshake-vp/
Expert Panel, Forbes Coaches Council. (2020). Starting a new chapter: useful tips for college graduates. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/04/06/starting-a-new-chapter-14-useful-tips-for-college-graduates/?sh=3f3b01f23fff
Expert Panel, Forbes Councils Member. (2021). 10 career tips for recent grads entering the post-pandemic job market. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2021/07/30/10-career-tips-for-recent-grads-entering-the-post-pandemic-job-market/?sh=7302bf9d5655
Liu, J. (2021). ‘Don’t hurry to grow up’: 9 millennials share their best advice to recent grads. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/23/9-millennials-share-their-best-work-advice-to-recent-grads.html