Jeremy Kaplan
The idea of following your passion to find a job has fallen out of favor by many people. They see students spending years in college learning about things that, while interesting, are not employable skills. While everyone wants to find a job after they graduate, there is nothing wrong with exploring interests while you are in college. The fact is, you will spend the majority of your adult life in the workforce. Taking a little time during your young adult years, before the responsibilities of children, aging parents, and homeownership set in, to explore your interests, can pay dividends as you age. It is not unusual to switch careers several times during your working life, and having a strong understanding of what you like, and what you don’t can help you make smart choices. Also, a well-rounded education can open doors you didn’t even realize existed when you were a student.
Pair a Minor with Your Major
Pairing a minor and a major adds focus to your college journey. While a certain number of elective credits are necessary to complete a major, focusing them in such a way that you have a minor as well can beef up your resume. For example, a humanities degree may be a tough sale for many jobs in corporate America, but add in a minor in marketing or finance, and suddenly you look like someone with both the hard and soft skills necessary to succeed.
Don’t Be Afraid of Loans
Student loans offer freedom. While it is possible to live at home, work, and attend community college, it is not the right choice for everyone. Continuing to live in the environment you went to high school in can make it difficult to challenge yourself. Meeting new people and exposing yourself to different ways of doing things and thinking is part of the college experience. Loans allow you to step into the unknown. You can expose yourself to different classes, studying things you have never been exposed to before. Not having to worry about how you will pay for classes can free you up to immerse yourself in student clubs and volunteer organizations. Without the stress of finances hanging over your head, you can think about the person you want to become.
Know Your Strengths and How to Sell Yourself
If you are naturally creative, you may want to spend your college years studying art of some sort. For someone who has grown up limited to the teachers available at their local high school, having access to professors with training in the artistic fields you are interested in is too good of an opportunity to pass up. You know objectively that you will never make a living as an artist, you may not even want to try. There is nothing wrong with immersing yourself in the experience while you have the opportunity. Think of how you can use this artistic background to build a career when you graduate. Working in UI/UX design for a tech company is a viable option for someone with a creative mind, but who would like a career with competitive compensation. Chasing after your dreams, while considering how it will translate into a career, can help you build a life you love.
Follow Your Passion to Find Your Dream Job
The idea of following your passion to find a job has fallen out of favor by many people. They see students spending years in college learning about things that, while interesting, are not employable skills. While everyone wants to find a job after they graduate, there is nothing wrong with exploring interests while you are in college. The fact is, you will spend the majority of your adult life in the workforce. Taking a little time during your young adult years, before the responsibilities of children, aging parents, and homeownership set in, to explore your interests, can pay dividends as you age. It is not unusual to switch careers several times during your working life, and having a strong understanding of what you like, and what you don’t can help you make smart choices. Also, a well-rounded education can open doors you didn’t even realize existed when you were a student.
Pair a Minor with Your Major
Pairing a minor and a major adds focus to your college journey. While a certain number of elective credits are necessary to complete a major, focusing them in such a way that you have a minor as well can beef up your resume. For example, a humanities degree may be a tough sale for many jobs in corporate America, but add in a minor in marketing or finance, and suddenly you look like someone with both the hard and soft skills necessary to succeed.
Don’t Be Afraid of Loans
Student loans offer freedom. While it is possible to live at home, work, and attend community college, it is not the right choice for everyone. Continuing to live in the environment you went to high school in can make it difficult to challenge yourself. Meeting new people and exposing yourself to different ways of doing things and thinking is part of the college experience. Loans allow you to step into the unknown. You can expose yourself to different classes, studying things you have never been exposed to before. Not having to worry about how you will pay for classes can free you up to immerse yourself in student clubs and volunteer organizations. Without the stress of finances hanging over your head, you can think about the person you want to become.
Know Your Strengths and How to Sell Yourself
If you are naturally creative, you may want to spend your college years studying art of some sort. For someone who has grown up limited to the teachers available at their local high school, having access to professors with training in the artistic fields you are interested in is too good of an opportunity to pass up. You know objectively that you will never make a living as an artist, you may not even want to try. There is nothing wrong with immersing yourself in the experience while you have the opportunity. Think of how you can use this artistic background to build a career when you graduate. Working in UI/UX design for a tech company is a viable option for someone with a creative mind, but who would like a career with competitive compensation. Chasing after your dreams, while considering how it will translate into a career, can help you build a life you love.
