How can I make college worth it?

This is a very great question!

This question actually brings me back to my college days. The best advice that I can give you is to get to know yourself first, learn your strength and weaknesses. You can do this by volunteering through organizations on campus and even outside college, or by simply taking classes that would challenge you. This would even prepare you for life after college.

Getting to know myself while discovering my passion really had a positive impact in my college journey. I was part of many organizations on campus and even took over leadership positions. By doing this, I learned about my passion of leading others while creating a harmonious environment.

During my first semester, I took classes outside my major to both challenge myself and to also help me in choosing the right major for me. By doing this, I learned a lot about myself and my love for numbers and this subject called accounting. Hence, I discovered that accounting was the right major.

I will say this again, take part of organizations, it could be professional or simply something that triggers your interest. I would recommend the National Association of Black Accountants, NABA, the Association of Latino Professional For America, ALPFA, your Finance Society on campus or your Students Government Association, SGA. Even though being part of an organization is important, but, what I found more important was to be part of the executive board. This would help you develop or enhance your leadership skills.

In terms of internships, the earlier you can get them, the better it is. They are also crucial factors in helping you determine whether you are in the right major. Having internships would help build your resume. Also, just in case if you are not getting to intern for the company of your dreams at the moment, just take whatever that comes your way as long as it has to do with finance, because that is your primary focus. Most of all, remember that you are seeking experiences that would open doors for your next big opportunity. As for graduating in 3 years, I would not recommend it, if it means rushing through your college journey and maybe missing out on opportunities just because the workload in your classes are almost unbearable and requiring more time from you.

Above all, seek for mentors, this would take you a long way. Mentors can be your career counselors; professors, or even your classmates, as long as he/she can contribute to your growth.

I hope this has helped answering your question.

The best way that you can make college worth it is to determine as early as you can which career path would be best suitable for you as an individual and then talking to people who are working in that career area face to face in person to get the inside view of that career area to determine if it is indeed suitable for you.

Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .