In a past blog, I’ve shared my tips and advice on Surviving College 101 (https://missjasminesmith20.wixsite.com/southernlifeofjas/post/surviving-college-101). Surviving college is just the first stepping stone, but when you start getting deep in your major it’s extremely important. Most college students don’t start taking classes that are in their major till around their 2nd year. I started my 4th semester (which was the 2nd semester of my 2nd year). Between then and now I’ve learned tips and tricks of the upperclassman life. I’m going to share those tips and tricks right here.
1. Start building a network.
One of thing I’ve been told by my professors is to network with people. Having a network with someone can benefit in the long run. My network is not only huge online, but also in person. Plus, these networks can lead to friendships. The best people to have network is with your professors, academic advisor, Dean Of Students, Student Government Cabinet, people in your classes, and people in your student organizations.
2. Become more cautious of your social media
We all post and say a lot of things on social media, but it has its limits. Employers will see what you post on social media. I have Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat. I monitor everything I post. What I do on my social media I make sure is one or more of the following: decent, professional, and/or appropriate. On Twitter, there have been times when I like and retweet what someone says, but that’s because I agree, find it funny, or it relates to me. Always be careful with what you online.
3. Start building your resume
I didn’t start making my resume till my 3rd year of college. I had already had a great amount of experiences and skills in set. I waited “late” to make mine. It’s best to start early. It was hard in the beginning, but I got help along the way. Making your resume is going to be a big key in the job market.
4. Begin to do research of your career of interest
In your upperclassmen years, you will learn all the tactics of your major. One thing that is very beneficial is doing your own research about your career that you want to do. Reading and studying about your major on the side helps. For me I’m a general management major. With my major I can peruse anything that is business related. I decided why not marketing. I studied all social media platforms, YouTube channels, and commercials of various people and companies. It’s very fascinating to look into. It was easy for me to understand and it’s something I want to go for.
5. Start mapping out plan for after graduation
Graduating from college is going to be a very big moment in our lives. It’s a great a achievement. But there are downhills with it. Not only is planning for graduation is going to be stressful, but your plans after graduation is going to be even more stressful. I did research about how stressful college students get and it’s kinda scary because you are no longer having that college routine and trying to find a job in your career field is going to be even harder. Make out a plan of what you plan to do after graduation at least a year and a half to a year before you graduate. Also, make sure you have a Plan B in case Plan A does go through.
I’m still a upperclassmen, but throughout my time as one these are part of the things that I’ve learned. Upperclassmen life is a totally different experience than freshman year. Freshman year you are just learning to ropes and getting adjusted to college life as a whole. Upperclassmen life is helping you get one step closer to your goal in life. Each time I did something that involves my career I felt like I knew that I’m getting closer to my goal. Have a goal and keep that in mind to push you to reach it.
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