The Path to Your Dream Career Starts in Your Freshman Year

It is your first day on campus and everything seems to be on the right track. Four years down the road, with a brand new diploma in your hands, you will walk straight to the office of your dream. Wait, is that right? That is how it is supposed to be. However, in the job market today, having a college degree no longer guarantees you a dream job, not even just a decent entry-level position in your field. The unexpected fact is that in 2013, the unemployment rate among college graduates are 8.8%, and the underemployment rate is 18.3%. Those numbers add up to 27.1% college grads that did not see their dream come true. Not right away at least.

So how do you avoid being in that 27.1% pool? The question is not just about what you can do after the commencement ceremony. The preparation for your dream career needs to start early, as soon as you step foot into your first college class.

Build a strong academic record

Some freshmen enjoy their newly found freedom so much that they feel free to skip class, party hard and turn in their papers at the very last minute. The thing is, it would only hurt your GPA at the end. 

Plus, college courses are designed to prepare you for the real work force. By challenging yourself to advance classes or getting the best results out of it, you will learn many valuable skills. Teamwork, ability to deal with pressures, and attention to details are all the skills that employers want to see.

Grow your personal and professional networks

College is the time to make friends and get connected. Many relationships born on campus can last a lifetime and come in handy throughout your career life. Your professor may happen to know a potential job prospect. Your classmate today may become your biggest client one day. The possibilities are endless and in the end, networking with others will build up your confident and social skills.

A good way to start building your network early is joining different student groups on campus, especially ones that relate to your major. Also attend job fairs, conferences, and other events, where you can easily meet professionals and students of the same fields.

Get an internship or volunteer experience

The most common reason for a college grad to get rejected by employers is the lack of experience. At the time of graduation, almost everyone has no professional, full time experience in their respective field yet. However, your internship or volunteer experience can certainly set you apart from your peers. And of course, experience takes time. Therefore start as early as you can to find something related to your major. It will make your learning experience in college much more valuable and help you fill out that resume.

Author byline:

Vanessa is a professional blogger and copywriter, who is passionate about education, lifestyles and travelling topics.

This article is courtesy of Interesting Facts.

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The Path to Your Dream Career Starts in Your Freshman Year