Did you start your career straight out of college, or did you start later?

Hi Kailyn,

Thank you for reaching out and asking a good question. For most students I would say it is important to apply for internships, jobs, or volunteer work. This will help you to develop the work experience and skills to enter the industry or career you are interested in. The more experience and skills you have to offered tailored to the job description, responsibility bullet points (e.g., You need to meet most of the bullets in job description by describing in your resume the experience you do have and what that looks like on the job), and qualifications will help to show that you are candidate for the job. I hope that I was able to answer your question.

Sincerely,
Kelvin

I did start a full-time job right out of school, because I was anxious to get my own apartment and start earning an income. I was tired of being a "broke college kid"! But, I didn't stay with that line of work for very long. Instead, I tried a few different types of jobs before I ended up in Marketing, where I've now been for most of my career. At one point, I even went back to school for a Master's Degree, studying in the evenings and weekends, while continuing to work full-time. (It took me 6 years to complete it, that way.)

If you already know exactly where you want to live, and what career path you want to follow, then continuing to explore probably isn't necessary, after college. But, if you are a bit more undecided, like I was, (and you have the means to live rent-free for a while after college), I would recommend that you take some time to figure out your ideal path, after graduation. Apply for internships in areas that interest you. Look for a work/study program that will allow you to meet people, learn a specialty, or try out a few different types of careers, to help you decide what's right for you. My niece, for example, enrolled in a hands-on field study program, where she learned to do field research. It greatly enriched her classroom learning, and she met and impressed some key people there, who helped her get started in a tough, competitive career field.

Depending on your interests, you may also want to try shadowing someone you admire, or becoming an apprentice to someone in an interesting line of work. You might even enroll in a program that will allow you to explore new cities or countries, while learning a profession. You never know where those experiences might lead you!

If any of this sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend that you take advantage of that time, immediately after graduation. Because, once you get out on your own, rent an apartment, buy a car, maybe even get married and have kids, it gets exponentially harder to take advantage of these types of programs and opportunities. "Inertia", and the demands and cost of everyday living can make it much more challenging to go back and do these things, later.

Good luck!