6 Sound Career Advice for College Students

The end of college sees the transition of once spry and optimistic students into “Yes-men”, eager to go to painstaking lengths to land a viable job. This is why most people breeze through life hopping from one organization to another, or downright loathing their jobs or workplaces down the road. The very same people who go to college to pursue their interests and passion and get a degree, make choice poles apart from the things they once aspired for as soon as they step into their professional lives. They seem oblivious to their own goals and set down a dark, dreary path. While a college degree will open up doors of opportunities for you and show you where to go, it’s for you to choose your destination and map out your route to get there!
After most students get over the euphoria of getting out of college and are done painting the town red their first week of freedom, they find themselves pounding the pavements with their polished shoes, starched slacks, new tie, and a crisp resume, only to find rejection at every turn. They find themselves pitted against peers with more work experience and better chances of survival. Don’t let the same happen to you!

Here are ten career advice for college students that will help them craft a viable game plan and advance their careers

career planning tips for students

1. Hold On To Your Dreams:

“Keep your dreams alive. Understand that achieving anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, demanding work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”—Gail Devers

Dreamlike you are still a five-year-old kid but make sure that you also work hard to realize your dreams. You might come across people who rain on your parade, disparaging your dreams as something unattainable. Some might even smirk and wave off your aspirations, but don’t get bogged down and hold on to your dreams. Have faith in your abilities that you can make your dreams come true. Regardless of how audacious your daydreams may be, each step you take will bring you closer to achieving them. Granted, you might have to take a longer path than you intended, and perhaps one dotted with pitfalls and stumbling blocks, but you will get there eventually!

2. Get Over Your Fear of Failure:

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”—Paulo Coelho

One of the biggest hurdles that prevent college students from experimenting and trying out new things is the fear of failure. It is further accompanied by the tribulation of criticism, which goes to augment the impact. Most college students are socially active, so they are reluctant to try new things because they cannot bear the barrage of criticism that will come their way when they fail. If you want to thrive in life, you will have to stop fretting over what anybody would say.

3. Don’t Get Bogged Down by Failures:

Failure is evitable, especially when you embark on a less traversed path, but don’t let it become a barrier and force you into retreating in your shell. Stepping out of your college mindset and stepping into professional life can be very daunting for students and they will make mistakes along the way. How they react to failures is much more important than how many failures hinder their career path.

Denis Waitley painted a clear picture of how everyone should think about failure. Here is what he has to say, “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is a delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”

4.Have a Vision:

Don’t worry about what people say about it, it is your dream and vision that determines what you will become. Let’s say your vision is to become a pilot and fly a fighter jet, you should look for ways to make it happen. Consider dropping your CV in top recruitment mobile app developers agencies and use online mediums such as LinkedIn to find your dream job where you can implement your vision. Having a vision will also save you from digressing from the path and help you focus on one thing at a time.

Roy T Bennett offered great advice to young college students who want to make it big in “The Light in the Heart”, when he wrote, “Don’t let others tell you what you can’t do. Don't let the limitations of others limit your vision. If you can remove your self-doubt and believe in yourself, you can achieve what you never thought possible.”

5.Focus on Your Strength:

We all come with our personal stash of strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how you use your strengths to take your career to the next level and overcome weaknesses along the way. You might come across people that might be better than you in some respects, but you might also be better than them in others. Identify your strengths, overcome your weaknesses and get ahead in the race. Never try to excel at everything because you cannot be an expert at everything.

6. Strive for Excellence:

One of the biggest mistakes most college students make is that they want overnight success. Remember there is no shortcut to success so you won’t be becoming a successful business owner in a day. It takes time and perseverance, and you should be patient. Instead of chasing after success, you would be better off striving for excellence. Keep refining what you do and constantly improve on your previous performance. Soon, there will come a time when you might become the best in the business.