Ok, so the economy is down (maybe even in a recession), you are $20,000+ dollars in debt with student loans; you are flat broke, and the only thing that you truly posses is an expensive piece of paper stating that you are an educated individual. You have just spent the last four plus years studying topics ranging from Chemistry to English to Math to Psychology. The only problem is that through all the tests and assignments, no one has told you what to do after you graduate from college. Here are four simple steps that you can take to help you transition from being a broke college graduate to a successful individual with a career.
The first step in determining your future after college is deciding what you want to do for a living (if you know what you want to do, then you can start heading in that direction). This decision by far is the most difficult and challenging step. Make sure you spend adequate time investigating the career field you want to go into and make sure it will fit your personality. Don't get caught in the trap of just wanting to make money, you should truly find a job where you like to be and enjoy doing what you do.
The second step is determining if you should further your education in order to be proficient in your career field. For example if you want to be a medical doctor, you need to continue on to medical school; if you want to be a successful business man, you should get your MBA from a University; if you want to be a teacher, you may want to think about getting your Master's degree in education. Ultimately you must decide if furthering your education (post bachelors) is cost effective in determining your future positions. It has been determined that the more education one has, the higher salary that individual makes. Remember that no matter what you do, people at the top in every career field always make a pretty penny.
The third step is preparing to enter into the career field of you choice. During this step, you should polish up your resumes and letters of recommendations. You may want to even investigate the companies you are applying for and determine if their standards will work for you. The important aspect of this step is that you adequately prepare for getting interviews, performing well through the interviews, and getting the job in you career. Remember that most post-bachelor graduates don't gain the job of their dreams right after school. Almost everyone has to start off low on the totem pole and work their way upward. The key is just breaking into the field.
The forth and final step is being flexible. If you can't break into the field, don't give up: be persistent. Get to know people in the field and shadow them if you need too. Once again, at this point it's not how much you know; rather, who you know. Be a likable character and people will want you as their co-worker or maybe even boss. Also know that most employees that graduate today will change jobs and even careers numerous times through out their lives. Be flexible and learn as much you can about learning new tasks/jobs. Flexibility (learning new jobs or tasks) is a huge asset/benefit to have in any career field.
All in all, we live in a world of constant transition and change. Graduating from college and shifting into the working field is no easy task. Preparation and flexibility is the key into making this transition flow smoothly. Good luck on your ventures and know that you are not alone.
Written by Jon Exton - inspired by http://www.great-quotes.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Exton
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