In college, they encourage you to pick a major and take a plethora of classes within that discipline. As long as you do well in your classes you are not only on the right track to graduate but you are bound to get your foot in the door in a company or a graduate program. Of course, they encourage you to get involved with student organizations, jobs, or internships but they don't push the professional development as much as they push academic excellence. This is a flaw in higher education. At the end of the day, a degree is just a degree. It doesn't matter if you have it if you don't have the work experience to backup your academic excellence. It doesn't matter if you have a 4.0 but don't have soft skills such as communication and networking. It doesn't matter if you graduated with honors if you have no experience in the field you are looking to pursue. Here is my advice: "Be what you want to become"!
Don't wait for opportunities to come, create opportunities for yourself. For example, if you are studying Sales and Services Marketing take those skills and go apply them. Take on-campus jobs that allow you to refine those skills such as being a Campus Tour Guide where your role is to sell the university to prospective students. If you are studying Exercise Science and you aspire to own a personal training facility, research and take personal training and strengths and conditioning certifications so you can start now. Don't wait to finish the degree; go get certified and start taking clients. If you are studying Public Relations and you want to get in that field, create your own success by creating your own portfolio. A portfolio can be physical, or it can be digital. Seek out opportunities on campus that will help you take what you learn in the classroom and apply them such as being a Public Relations Assistant, writing for the newspaper, working at a PR firm or even starting a student-run PR firm if your school doesn't already have one. If you are minoring in Entrepreneurship and you dream of having your own business whatever that may be: START. Launch your first business, sell your first product or service, and publish your website.
Even if you fail, you are no worse off. If you wait until you obtain certain things such as a degree to start, you are doing a disservice to yourself. The sooner you embrace the mantra "Be what you want to become" you will be able to find out if you actually enjoy doing what you are studying, you will be able to monetize your passions, and build valuable connections within your field which will then help you matriculate into that field post-graduation. It is time to quit talking the talk and start walking the walk. That first step starts with you, so what are you going to do?
