YAC’S GOT YOUR BACK–Kess-Ann Grant ‘09
5 Things To Do Right After You Graduate College
Are you graduating this semester with an eagerness to thrust yourself into the real world? Before you do, the Young Alumni Club (YAC) would like to share five things we think you should do right after you graduate.
Define your objectives: Take some time to be honest with yourself. Determine your long-term and short-term goals and write them down. This is a great way to visualize and gauge where you see yourself going and it’ll help you position yourself to take the necessary steps to get there. Revisit these objectives often to keep yourself focused and on track.
Do some housekeeping: Your college years have ended which means it’s time to leave some of the inglorious memories behind. Clean up your social networks (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc) Nobody needs to see that one night you got drunk at that frat party and fell asleep naked on a snow bank on the green. Social network with class!
Build your network: Network, network, and network, with the right people! Now that you have defined your long-term and short-term goals, the next step is aligning yourself with people who can help you achieve them. Attend professional mixers, join professional organizations, volunteer, participate in alumni events. You just might meet that one person who knows someone who knows someone… you get my drift.
Stay up to date: No one expects you to have any real experience fresh out of college. However, having some knowledge about the industry you plan to work in will do you more good than harm; it shows potential employers that you’re interested in your field of study. So why not read and do some research? Technical publications, free online journals etc serve as great resources to gain some insight on your profession. The Internet is limitless.
Maintain a positive attitude: This is, perhaps, one of the most important abilities to develop. Learning how to keep a positive attitude, despite failures and shortcomings, shows confidence and resilience. It makes you more personable and people will want to associate themselves with you more. After all, no one likes a negative person.
Got a question for YAC? Email us at YAC.NJIT@gmail,com
