Beat the Heat of a Summertime Slump to Gain Experience
Here’s the scenario:
You are all done with finals and now you are on your homebound journey to enjoy your summer. You anticipate the smell of the ocean, road trips, sleeping in far beyond the sunrise (as you were forced to rise all semester long for that pesky 8, 9, 10, or let’s be be honest…even that 11am class), and staying up far beyond the sunset doing whatever you want. You also anticipate that this will occur throughout the summer until you are back at school to start the process over again.
Here’s the problem:
Pretty soon, your “free” time during the summer is going to come to a close as you continue through the process and your freshman year quickly turns into your senior year. Most likely your parents will be ready for you to stop using their money and get a job, but how do you plan on getting a job? Are you prepared for what our economy has to offer? Do you have what it takes to get a job?
According to Billy Streufert, Director of the Career Development Center at the University of South Dakota, employers want experience. Uh-oh. Starting to worry now?
Have no fear…this blog article is not intended to scare you (ok, maybe a little). Truly, what we want you to do is just think about your future and how you should be setting yourself up for success in everything you do!
Employers want experience, right? Lucky for you, you don’t have to look far to get it. Experience is not limited to paid employment. It can include any co-curricular activities or accomplishments that demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
What you have to do is consider your major or career plan and think about what you could do over the summer to gain some experience. If you are interested in early childhood education, perhaps you could job shadow at a local daycare or even work part-time during the summer. If you are struggling with learning about options for you, please come in and speak with a career counselor at the Career Center—we will be able to help you locate job shadow opportunities and summer employment or internships in your field. If you are unable to come into our office during the summer, please feel free to give us a call at 581-1359 and we will be happy to speak with you over the phone.
For more information about experience opportunities, please visit our website, scroll all the way down on the screen and click on the link that reads: 20 Places to Get Experience for Your Resume under Most Popular Handouts.