Taylor
How pertinent is it that the jobs you have in college pertain to your career path?
I am a sophomore in college and I'm having difficulty finding summer jobs that apply to what I want to do in a career sense. Will this hurt me when I apply to graduate school? #college #employment #connections
4 answers
matthew adeleye
matthew’s Answer
No, it won't. So far you have acquired the necessary skill in your field of specialization while in school...
I believe it's good to have summer jobs even when it's not technically in your career field. It shows among other things that your concerned about school debt.
Furthermore it shows responsibility and that you have committed yourself to the greater goal of reaching grad school and have done other possibly lesser jobs for experience of working with people and developing job skills that are not provided in college. Actually it's part of your education. As you develop in the area of your major you may find a closer job match in a year or two as well.
Working looks better than non working.
George McCorkell CPCU
Stephanie Murnen
Stephanie’s Answer
While it's always helpful to have experience in the field you eventually want to go into with your degree, it's not always necessarily to have jobs in the exact field throughout college, as long as you acquire relevant skills and experiences that will help you thrive in any future job you have.
For instance if you want to go into business management, running a landscaping business or dog walking business, or being an assistant manager in a retail store or restaurant are all great experiences that teach you valuable skills about running all areas of a business, strategic thinking, delivery strong customer service, dealing with money and finances, etc, even if it's not a traditional corporate job.
If you want to go into teaching, you could work as a lifeguard, camp counselor, or babysitter and talk to projects and activities you've organized with the children.
Showing you have the general skillsets and personality traits that would help you thrive in the career you want to go into (whatever your major is) as well as any hard skills you can acquire on your own through volunteering, internships, online classes or projects,etc will help set you apart. Also, showing you're able to hold down jobs with a strong work ethic and strong adherence to customer service and quality results will make you a great candidate for any future job.
Sonya Connor
Sonya’s Answer
It's helpful if your resume shows jobs that pertain to your career path but not necessary especially if it's tough getting into entry level positions in your field requiring experience. I would recommend finding a position in a related field if possible, or apply for an internship in your field if you are okay not earning much if anything while you gain the valuable experience that may be required for entry in your field. Employers look at overall experience and time at positions to show dependability and a willing trainable worker can easily move between different careers.
