A student’s freshman year of college is filled with plenty of excitement and overwhelming all on its own. Combine that with thoughts of career development, and most students would rather run away in the opposite direction. The career planning process can be a lot to think about, especially if you haven’t even decided on an academic major just yet. You may even be thinking “Isn’t it too early for this?!” or “I’ve got so much time to figure all of that out. I can wait a year or two!”
However, it’s important to think about the college experience as the very first phase of your career, instead of a separate life phase altogether. If you reframe things in this way and follow a few helpful tips for navigating your first year on campus, it can help you to make strategic decisions that will ultimately make securing your first full-time position in the long-run so much easier.
From surviving (or thriving in) one of your prerequisite classes to joining your first student organization to securing an on-campus job, to making new friends, truly every experience matters during your freshman year. As you establish yourself in the new reality that is college, every experience you have will in some way be a first. You’ll be introducing yourself to new people, gauging which learning styles work best for you, and developing mature time management skills all within just a few short months. Each of these skills can and will someday be part of your professional skillset, and it’s important to put as much effort into each of them as you can from the outset. Think of these experiences as low stakes opportunities in adulting. You’re not just making new friends, you’re practicing how to network. You’re not just nailing down your most productive study methods, you’re flexing the same parts of your brain that will someday help you to learn new office processes quickly. You’re not just figuring out time management, you’re learning how to allocate time effectively to someday complete big presentations for your boss.
All of this practice will allow your professional personality to begin to develop so that in a few years when you’re in front of a recruiter, you’re polished and ready to contribute to their team.
Every human being that has ever completed a degree program can attest to the fact that mistakes happen. Some might be small, others maybe not so small, but they’re a part of life for each of us. Instead of allowing them to wear you down, learn to reframe mistakes as course corrections. This mindset eliminates the assumption that you’ve in some way failed and instead turns it into a plot twist that you can grow from. Nothing in life goes according to plan, especially career trajectories, so becoming comfortable with course corrections will only make you more resilient in the future. Remind yourself often that life is never linear and that twists and turns only make it that much richer.
Please also note that course correction doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re following the wrong path altogether. We can sometimes become so disheartened by things not working out as we’d planned that we begin to question whether or not we’re even heading in the right direction in the first place. Before tossing your plan in its entirety though, think about whether or not this situation was caused by something small that could be accounted for in the future.
You’re going to be in front of faculty, staff, older students, and employers that have all collected a breadth and depth of knowledge in higher education as well as industry. Use this proximity to ask questions to learn more about their journeys and maybe which strategies have and have not been successful in their own lives. Selecting a major is only a small portion of career planning, as major does not equal career. Just because you study a specific discipline in college doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll only be doing that one thing for the rest of your life, and the individuals that surround you can attest to that reality better than anyone. Don’t be afraid to visit your instructor’s office hours, or to befriend the teaching assistant in class, or to stop by an employer information session. Even the most casual conversations can sometimes spark lightbulb moments as you start to formulate your career goals, so take advantage of these opportunities whenever you can.
You have access to a multitude of campus resources as well. Use them! Whether that’s one of our many libraries, the Texas A&M University Career Center, your departmental advising office, or Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), career information and assessments can be gathered from any of these offices. If you’re unsure of what options are out there, simply ask. That’s all it takes to get started.
Competitive environments can be energizing for some and extremely stressful for others. While competition can drive us to elevate our performance, it can also sometimes become a source of stress and anxiety that can be debilitating if we allow it to be. Regardless of our responses to competition though, it’s important to understand that the recruitment process is, at its very core, competition amongst candidates.
The moment we embrace this reality, we can begin to use this knowledge to our advantage and strategically build our resumes and portfolios to put us in the best positions to find success. Recruitment competition occurs between students in the same major, students in similar majors, students within the same academic college, students attending the same university, as well as all other applicants of similar caliber and experience within the employer’s applicant pool. There will almost assuredly be excellent competition around every corner as you proceed through your undergraduate experience, and instead of allowing that to discourage you, use it drive you forward. Exert your best effort in class, commit fully to your student organizations, invest time and energy into special projects, and dedicate time on your own to learn more about your desired industry, or collect unrequired but desirable certifications and skills. Consistently remind yourself that when you’re not dedicating 100% to reaching your goals, very likely there will be someone else out there who is doing just that. This competitive spirit will be something that employers hope for in their new hires, and by embracing competition early in your college career, you’ll demonstrate resilience and determination that will be attractive to every hiring manager that you meet.
Your freshman year of college will be full of so many exciting new experiences, friendships, and academic accomplishments. Through utilizing these tips, it will likely be a great opportunity for a bit of professional development, too. Gig’em!
Written by Taylor Henderson, Career Advisor for First and Second Year Mays Business Students.
However, it’s important to think about the college experience as the very first phase of your career, instead of a separate life phase altogether. If you reframe things in this way and follow a few helpful tips for navigating your first year on campus, it can help you to make strategic decisions that will ultimately make securing your first full-time position in the long-run so much easier.
1. Every experience matters because every experience is practice.
From surviving (or thriving in) one of your prerequisite classes to joining your first student organization to securing an on-campus job, to making new friends, truly every experience matters during your freshman year. As you establish yourself in the new reality that is college, every experience you have will in some way be a first. You’ll be introducing yourself to new people, gauging which learning styles work best for you, and developing mature time management skills all within just a few short months. Each of these skills can and will someday be part of your professional skillset, and it’s important to put as much effort into each of them as you can from the outset. Think of these experiences as low stakes opportunities in adulting. You’re not just making new friends, you’re practicing how to network. You’re not just nailing down your most productive study methods, you’re flexing the same parts of your brain that will someday help you to learn new office processes quickly. You’re not just figuring out time management, you’re learning how to allocate time effectively to someday complete big presentations for your boss.
All of this practice will allow your professional personality to begin to develop so that in a few years when you’re in front of a recruiter, you’re polished and ready to contribute to their team.
2. Don’t think mistake, think course correction.
Every human being that has ever completed a degree program can attest to the fact that mistakes happen. Some might be small, others maybe not so small, but they’re a part of life for each of us. Instead of allowing them to wear you down, learn to reframe mistakes as course corrections. This mindset eliminates the assumption that you’ve in some way failed and instead turns it into a plot twist that you can grow from. Nothing in life goes according to plan, especially career trajectories, so becoming comfortable with course corrections will only make you more resilient in the future. Remind yourself often that life is never linear and that twists and turns only make it that much richer.
Please also note that course correction doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re following the wrong path altogether. We can sometimes become so disheartened by things not working out as we’d planned that we begin to question whether or not we’re even heading in the right direction in the first place. Before tossing your plan in its entirety though, think about whether or not this situation was caused by something small that could be accounted for in the future.
There’s no need to abandon ship on a dream because of something manageable that you can easily learn to avoid.
3. Explore!
You’re going to be in front of faculty, staff, older students, and employers that have all collected a breadth and depth of knowledge in higher education as well as industry. Use this proximity to ask questions to learn more about their journeys and maybe which strategies have and have not been successful in their own lives. Selecting a major is only a small portion of career planning, as major does not equal career. Just because you study a specific discipline in college doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll only be doing that one thing for the rest of your life, and the individuals that surround you can attest to that reality better than anyone. Don’t be afraid to visit your instructor’s office hours, or to befriend the teaching assistant in class, or to stop by an employer information session. Even the most casual conversations can sometimes spark lightbulb moments as you start to formulate your career goals, so take advantage of these opportunities whenever you can.
You have access to a multitude of campus resources as well. Use them! Whether that’s one of our many libraries, the Texas A&M University Career Center, your departmental advising office, or Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), career information and assessments can be gathered from any of these offices. If you’re unsure of what options are out there, simply ask. That’s all it takes to get started.
4. Embrace competition.
Competitive environments can be energizing for some and extremely stressful for others. While competition can drive us to elevate our performance, it can also sometimes become a source of stress and anxiety that can be debilitating if we allow it to be. Regardless of our responses to competition though, it’s important to understand that the recruitment process is, at its very core, competition amongst candidates.
The moment we embrace this reality, we can begin to use this knowledge to our advantage and strategically build our resumes and portfolios to put us in the best positions to find success. Recruitment competition occurs between students in the same major, students in similar majors, students within the same academic college, students attending the same university, as well as all other applicants of similar caliber and experience within the employer’s applicant pool. There will almost assuredly be excellent competition around every corner as you proceed through your undergraduate experience, and instead of allowing that to discourage you, use it drive you forward. Exert your best effort in class, commit fully to your student organizations, invest time and energy into special projects, and dedicate time on your own to learn more about your desired industry, or collect unrequired but desirable certifications and skills. Consistently remind yourself that when you’re not dedicating 100% to reaching your goals, very likely there will be someone else out there who is doing just that. This competitive spirit will be something that employers hope for in their new hires, and by embracing competition early in your college career, you’ll demonstrate resilience and determination that will be attractive to every hiring manager that you meet.
Your freshman year of college will be full of so many exciting new experiences, friendships, and academic accomplishments. Through utilizing these tips, it will likely be a great opportunity for a bit of professional development, too. Gig’em!
Written by Taylor Henderson, Career Advisor for First and Second Year Mays Business Students.