Academic life can genuinely help you on your way to success. While some may be skeptical, college actually prepares fresh graduates to be career-ready.
Consider yourself lucky if you have faculty members and mentors who are great teachers and have life lessons to offer. If you are able to secure a good working relationship with your superiors or managers as you go down your career path, you can expect to increase your learning, develop useful skills and be more confident at work.
It is best to start building your network while in college—You never know when you might need reference-worthy connections. Build genuine, positive connections. Having strong references will help you stand out among other applicants.
As you apply for jobs, when listing references, make sure your references know you well. The inquiring party should know not only about the basics of your work, but also your drive, attitude, personality, ethics and abilities. You’ll have a clear advantage if a manager or mentor goes the extra mile to endorse you.
As in college, the workplace, or in life, it can take a long time to establish your reputation and show what you have to offer. As long as you know the value of consistent effort, you can be confident when you apply the same virtues as you go about building your career. The right work ethic will lead to good returns.
As you move forward, find mentors, build a network, allow yourself to grow professionally, and enjoy new opportunities as they come.