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What are the best school organizations for valuable experience?

Sorority. Fraternity. Athletics. Clubs. As college students, we often join associations because of shared interests and to fit in the college persona. But what school organizations offer the best experience for jobs or opportunities? #schoolorganizations #collegereality #jobs #opportunities

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Andrea’s Answer

I can't say that I was ever hired in the professional world because of an affiliation. My affiliations did expose me to great professional contacts but my education and experience ultimately got me the job. I will say whether honor, sorority/fraternity, or athletic clubs you will be exposed to numerous business professional that could either hire, recommend you to be hired, or provide advice.

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Ilene’s Answer

Magdiel, what a great question! I'm going to veer slightly off from the other responses. It's true that an organization inline with your major is great for connections and a deeper understanding of your major, although joining something completely outside your major will broaden you. However, I really think the way to think about your question is to look at the skills you can acquire in whichever organizations you pick. Choosing to be involved in areas like leadership, budgeting, or planning and executing programs successfully will give you life skills that translate once you leave school. Plan to be more than a social member, look at your involvement as both a job and a training opportunity, and no matter what organization(s) you choose, you will gain valuable experience. Of course, remember to have fun. Best of luck to you!

Thank you comment icon IIene, your advice is on point. I agree with you about having leadership, budgeting, or planning and executing programs successfully. My son was in all sorts of leadership programs in high school and college. In medical school he was the President of his graduating class. Now in residency as a Pediatrician he is a leader in the program. Thank you for your great tips. Sheila Jordan
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Ken’s Answer

The most effective organizations to which you could belong are those most closely related to your career area. And the most effective first step that you can make is to determine which career area is most suited for your personality traits and do networking from there. The following are some good steps to follow.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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