How to Prepare for a Successful Life After College
There's always a state of stress whenever the question of “What do you want to do after school?” is raised in conversation. However, there are ways to ease some of that stress. By preparing ourselves with connections rooted in the environment around us, we can enhance our overall future professional experience. By investing ourselves into passion projects, collaborating with students. and connecting with professionals, we can better ease the fall into life after college.
Get invested in passion projects
It’s easy to keep our gaze focused on the learning of our industry through courses and internships required by our programs, but how can we take our education one step further? What if we were actively working toward projects that we feel are progressing our own personal journey to find the answer to “What do you want to do after graduation?” This is better known and summed up as passion projects.
Passion projects are special because they allow us to explore ideas we find interesting without the pressure of a structured environment. Finding a topic to invest in and explore our interests introduces a process that is unique to our own experience. By releasing the pressure that comes with the structure and responsibilities of the educational and professional system, you’re able to expand on the possibilities that you are curious about.
Peer collaboration
Something that is obvious, but so incredibly important for preparing for after college is expanding your network of people in the professional environment. If one thing is certain, the best place to start is to connect with the students around you. Not only those in your school of study, but students in other disciplines. Broadening the school of people you connect with can raise your awareness of the different components of collaboration that are involved in professional life.
Often collaborating with students brings you a whole new elevation of experience. It allows you to discuss and work towards goals that you’re just beginning to figure out how to achieve. The exchange with students not only improves your educational experience, but also can help you explore the ideas you’re looking into with passion projects. It can be intimidating to start exploring new ideas outside of the classroom, so capitalizing on connections with students can ease the intimidation.
Professional support
Excelling to a prosperous professional life after school involves understanding the field you’re going into. To yield that blindspot, connecting with professors and working professionals gives an experienced perception. Those who are invested in the industry have the advantage of giving direct, real, and honest insight into the professional field. By networking, you begin to understand the technicalities of what your field looks like and how you can focus your view on a more specific niche.
As we’re emerging into the professional world, as students, we’re required to be up to date with the continuous development of information related to our field. Working professionals possess knowledge on how the industry can be improved and also, what they feel is a current challenge faced. This information can introduce you to new ideas that could ultimately give you an edge in the job market and a more focused view of what you want to do after school.
There are many resources you can use to help yourself propel into a place where you feel confident exploring life after college. In a world where it seemingly has become a personality trait to be stressed about finding a job after college, let’s work toward projects and connect with people that make us feel like we are properly preparing to make our industry and other industries better than ever.
About Gracyn
Gracyn Brandt is a Senior studying Communications and Psychology with a minor in Advertising & Public Relations. She currently spends her time working as the Marketing Director of Hemp for Humanity as well as volunteering at Kids Food Basket. Gracyn is driven to help the community through the collaboration of the ideas and passions of her team around her. She will be fulfilling the position of Creative Director this fall and is thrilled to grow professionally with those she works with.