During the summer, students are left with all kinds of time to pursue any activities that they wish. College students try to make the most out of their summer experiences because most know it is only a matter of time before they are forced into the real world, where there are no summer breaks. With a sense of excitement running high, it is also important to take care of any business regarding the future. Today I will go over ways students can stay busy, while also getting ahead on their future!  

Tip 1: Get organized!

College students are living in hectic times, and in hectic times things get messy and lost. Do not be one of those college students where all your documents are scattered across multiple PCs and storage devices. It is good to start organizing your portfolio of what you have done so far, so that way there is less stress when it comes time for you to go back to it. When you are a senior and you are busy trying to find a job, graduate, and build your resume, the last thing you want to worry about is organizing all the work you have done.

This doesn’t have to be limited to just portfolio or resume stuff either. You can do this for notes, supplies and tools you used, and books. Being organized is likely to make you more prepared, and being prepared is half the battle when trying to advance in your career.

Tip 2: Check out job boards

Checking out job boards is something that is really easy to do, and does not require much effort to do so. You wouldn’t technically be doing this to find a job, but rather to see what businesses want in an applicant. If you can find what people want in an applicant, and start implementing it in college, you will make yourself an optimal candidate for whatever jobs you apply for. This is also good because it gives you valuable information on the current status of your future job field. You will be able to see the qualifications, but also what the average salary is like in your field. This is extremely valuable, as for some the financial gain is what draws them to some fields over others. Regardless, it gives you an idea of how much money you could potentially make.

Tip 3: Enhance skills you already have or are learning

This tip relates to skills you have learned in your major(s). In your time at college, you will learn a lot. Learning all this information won’t matter though if you do not apply it into the real world and practice. Whatever your major is, find opportunities to practice what you have learned. Best ways to do this are through internships within your field. This will give you hands on training of stuff you are more than likely to do once you get there. For underclassmen, it might be harder but there are still some ways to enhance your knowledge. Do more research on your field, and watch videos. You can also try shadowing people who work in your profession; to get an idea of what a day in the life of that profession is like. Whatever it may be, just keep on trying to find ways to develop and grow your skills. Your competition is out there and they are practicing, so what are you doing?

Tip 4: Broaden your horizons

The best part of summer break is all the free time you get to do whatever you want. Use this time wisely, and learn something new that might be beneficial to you down the line. This could be something like a graphic design student learning the Adobe design apps, to get more proficient in their field. Or it could be a business student learning a new language, like Spanish or Mandarin. These are both skills that would be extremely valuable to the individual in growing in their field of interest. It doesn’t have to strictly be related to your field either. You could do something like volunteer work as well. Volunteer work is always great because it has a direct Impact on who you are working with/helping. Volunteer work is also nice because it stands out when you apply for jobs and or apply for master’s schools. It is good to be an applicant that is active, and gives back to their community. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it is interesting, relevant, and exciting for you. Never stop experiencing new things!

Summer break is a great time for all students. For college students, it is smart to use the excess time to get ahead and make serious advancements in your development. I know how tempting it can be to want to hang out with friends all day, or play video games, but just make sure to not forget about business. You deserve to have fun and let loose, but there is a time and place for that. Make the sacrifice and put the work in now, so that way it is easier for you later on!

Written by: Cosme Lozano