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Posted Jan. 9, 2017

5 Ways To Start Building Your Career While Still At University

Future CareerBeing a university student is not an excuse for not preparing for your future career. What you’ll do after university years is extremely important, and you should treat this aspect with a lot of care. Instead of solely focusing on your postgraduate program at the university, you should also take small action towards building your dream career.

If you choose to start focusing on the long term, which means putting the pieces together and getting close to your career choice, you’ll definitely have a lot to gain. Students that get straight of out university and have no concise experience are going have a tougher time dealing with the “real life” requirements.

Here are five ways that you can prepare for your career while still attending university classes:

1. Join volunteering activities

Preferably, you should apply for volunteering activities that are related or somehow related to your future career. Each and every volunteering experience is going to improve your skills and knowledge in that specific field. Your resumé is also going to be improved, as you'll be able to list more experiences and skills. Volunteering is also fun; it teaches you how to deal with people, how to be kind, and how to care about people other than yourself. Employers also value volunteering experiences, as they provide a big sign that the interviewed employee is a dedicated individual.

2. Apply for an internship

By the time you reach university, you should have already chosen a more specific domain of activity. For example, if you chose a computer programming major, you can start looking for computer programming internship opportunities. No matter what invitations you receive, you should definitely consider them. The good thing about internships is the fact that you’re trained by professionals who perfectly know what they’re doing. If you pay attention, you’ll learn to master specific skills that will surely help you during your career.

3. Start freelancing

If you can’t find any volunteering opportunities or internships, you should consider freelancing. In today’s digital marketplace you can find hundreds and thousands of job opportunities. People are looking for all sorts of things: design, writing, IT, architecture skills, and so much more! Starting to work as a part-time freelancer isn’t that tough; Check out Upwork and Freelancer. After you make an account and build your freelancer profile, you can instantly apply for many relevant gigs. The freelancing activity is also going to help you develop your aptitudes and discover new traits.

4. Develop a professional online presence

If you truly want to be a professional entity after college, you should pay attention to your online presence. Nowadays, your social media profiles will be frequently visited by professionals who are either looking to build a connection with you, hire you, or talk to you. No matter what intentions they have, they’ll be quickly turned off by an unprofessional social profile. That is why it’s important to appear as professional as you can. You could even create a personal website and list your skills, experiences, and more things that you believe that are relevant to your future recruiters.

5. Find a mentor

Many students ignore the importance of having some guidance in life. Most of the successful people, the big names, they had mentors in life. A mentor is basically a person who inspires you, teaches you things, and has your back all the time. It’s the “big daddy” that you can always approach and ask for help. It is preferred to choose a compatible person that you can connect with. So how can you find a mentor? Well, that’s not so easy but it isn’t impossible either. If you’re really considering this option, you should check out this article. It will teach you the basics of searching for a professional mentor.

Conclusion

Preparing for your future career while you are still a university student is a really smart choice. Most students won’t do it because they have to leave their comfort zone and try new things. You see, if you are preparing before the university ends, you’ll have a lot of advantages compared to your other colleagues. After college, they won't be your classmates anymore, but your competition.

Author's bio: Eva Wislow is a career coach at Careers Booster resume writing service. She is focusing on helping people discover their true calling and achieve their most ambitious career goals. Eva finds her inspiration in writing.

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2 comments

LIKO Abigail May 24, 2021, 12:14 p.m.

What if after all this process and the person is still not getting through as expected??

Charlotte King June 1, 2021, 3:37 p.m.

Hi Abigail – there should be a careers team at your university that will be happy to help you plan your post-university future, so make sure you take advantage of their skills to help you with your career. Good luck.

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