For all you college kids out there, if you haven’t had that moment of sheer panic where you look at your barren resume and come to the conclusion that you are indeed on the path to becoming a homeless hitchhiker for the rest of your life, you are either an extremely levelheaded, lucky individual OR you (like myself) have avoided laying eyes on that blank piece of paper for the past two or three years out of utter and complete DENIAL.

So in the event that you have remained blissfully ignorant up until this point of the horror that awaits you, here are three simple but powerful professor lessons you’ve probably been tuning out too long:

1. Intern/work NOW.
   Nothing will replace the experience and connections you’ll gain by getting a big boy/girl job before you graduate. I can’t tell you how many college graduates (in the PR field, might I add) I’ve seen ranting and raving on Twitter about their lack of a job straight out of school. Put yourself out there now — when working can be an adventure rather than a cataclysmic event that sends your confidence into the toilet. Working early can even supplement the academic side of things, whether you get college credit for an internship or you use the skills/info you learn at work to get that A in a course!P.S. If you fall into the college student category of “I have the rest of my life to work, college is when I’m supposed to live,” remember that all that “living” during those magical four years could ultimately be killing your liver and quite possibly your career opportunities. Find the balance between work and play sooner, not later.
2. Let your GPA be a bonus.
   It broke my heart the first time a college professor brought it to my attention that my GPA “doesn’t and will not matter” in the big ole real world. The transition from high school to college is a totally different experience than from college to THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. You’re not competing for scholarships anymore — you’re wrestling someone for your career! Of course, your GPA can give you an edge, but experience comes first. At the end of the day, let your GPA be for you. Who knows? Maybe your wealth of seemingly irrelevant knowledge will make you a Jeopardy champ someday!
3. Dip your toes into EVERYTHING.
   When I was forced to learn how to design magazine/website layouts as a PRINT JOURNALISM MAJOR, you can imagine how quickly I whined, “But this isn’t why I’m here! If I wanted to be a graphic designer, I would’ve been a graphic design major!” Well, after a semester of letting the Adobe Suite products become the absolute bane of my existence, I naively assumed I would never see InDesign or Photoshop ever again. Lo and behold, on my first day of big girl work, not only did I become office-mates with our lead graphic designer, I was also asked to do my first project in INDESIGN. Long story short, some of those “pointless” things you learn in college turn out to be pretty darn important — and having those skills certainly makes you more marketable in the long run!

So there you have it, folks. Know that it’s never too late to bulk up that resume (unless of course you’ve already graduated and are thumbing it along the highway), and GOOD LUCK!

Until next time,
Mara Joffe
Blogger