I won't be shocked if the answer is yes! Because, I was in that scenario, with the same mindset and enthusiasm....
CAREER COUNSELLING
We all aim to secure a good position, and profession once we graduate from universities. However, reality hits us differently than we expect it to be. I don't want to burst your dreamy bubble. But here's to reality, to your better future. In our educational journeys, we are forced to focus on learning and getting good grades. But the question is do we need only education to kick-start career and profession? I won't be shocked if the answer is yes! Because, I was in that scenario, with the same mindset and enthusiasm. Everyone around me made me believe I could achieve everything I wanted with hard work, if I focused on my studies and got good grades.
That being said, everything was going well from securing good grades in the exam to graduating from university. It was a good thing, of course, as now there was a career path out there for me to secure a good profession. And I was ready to test the water and was pretty confident that I was going to get the job I wanted. Well, that's where the reality hit me hard. Despite getting good grades and all my hard work, I got rejected, leaving behind questions like "what did I lack?", or "was my education not enough?" etc.
But one thing was pretty obvious, yes! I did lack something: experience. In my curriculum vitae (CV), I could not mention any work experience. Well, of course, you are supposed to study only in your educational life. Moreover, expecting a fresh graduate to have work experience, and that also teaching experience, was quite astonishingly weird and shocking. Also, to my shock, it didn't stop there - not only experience but stuff like "How much experience do you have?" does matter.
And there's a lot more to this ‘world of profession’ that we students think can be achieved solely by getting a good degree with impressive grades and all the hard work we put in to get it. Yes, it is disappointing but it is not the end of the world. I believe if we are properly guided and counselled along with getting a suitable degree, it can ease a lot of our difficulties in our professional lives. So this is definitely for all the readers who have goals, yet no direction.
So, everyone, here are the tips that can help you tackle the problems I have mentioned above.
Grab internships
Go grab opportunities and gain experience. We all get summer breaks, right?! Well, do invest your time wisely as this will definitely help you in the long run. Join any academy, and teach if you want to pursue teaching as a career. If you are interested in any other field then go ahead and find out ways you can get experience in these fields. Yes, you might not get paid but you will gain a certificate of experience. Sounds boring? May be, as it is no fun to work without being paid, but it will help you earn a lot, trust me.
Apply for work before graduation
Start applying for jobs before graduation. If you are in your second last or last semesters, you better send your CVs to the desired institutes. It is a pre-plan trick and you will get its fruit once you graduate. Trust me with this!
Background check
Beware of the snakes and scams; yes, make sure you are applying for an authentic, and an authorized institution. Many institutes will play you for salary and that I believe is the last thing to happen, right?! So go search about the job and its details.
Don't stress over things while applying; every problem comes with a solution to it. All you need is to be active and patient enough to make it.
Work on your CV
Your CV is the first thing that splashes information about you to anyone. So do make sure your CV is impressive. You have to mention everything from your education to your hobbies and skills, wisely and smartly.
If you are good at computers, and software, etc., put it down on your CV. If have participated in seminars and conferences or done any social work, write them down along with adding your career achievements; any specific award or research as student; mentioning your research work in your CV can make all the difference.
Prepare for interview
Work on your presentation skills, and focus on developing good communication skills. Be confident during interviews. If you are intelligent but have zero confidence to express your knowledge, you are in trouble!
And with that, you are all good for facing challenges in the real world. But hey, make sure you know what you want, and need!
