Last spring my friend hit an emotional point, she felt like her life was going to fall apart. “I am coming so close to finishing my arts degree and I don’t have a clue what to do with it,” she spoke to me as tears rapidly rolled down her face.
She felt anxious, worried and afraid about what the future held for her. Until now her life seemed to have had a plan, she knew that after high school she would go off to college and after college she would get a highly-paid job and life would be like a sweet bed of roses.
But now that the time had almost come to graduate, she felt completely unprepared for the future. Her plans of landing a fantastic job seemed so unattainable that she just hoped to get a decent job somewhere. Not just that, she didn’t even know what to do with her arts degree.
My friend’s story may sound all too familiar. Truth is, nine out of 10 students go through this exact same phase some time or the other during their university life. Students start to question if university education still is the leg up it once was to get closer to their career goal.
If you’re in this position, you’re not alone. The good news is there is a solution, and results are guaranteed if one commits to following through.
ADDRESSING THE PSYCHOLOGY
Before addressing the real issue, it is important to address the psychological mindset that students have. Students are so busy dwelling and discussing the topic of not knowing what to do with their arts degree that they waste precious time that could be used towards finding the solution.
STRATEGIC WAY TO FIND A GROUND-BREAKING CAREER:
Use the funnel approach and narrow down:
The idea is to start wide and narrow down to the things that appeal to you and have a demand in the market place. Think of the top 10 courses that you enjoyed in university. Write them all down, don’t overthink it, and just write it down.
Make Google your friend:
For each of those 10 courses you wrote down, Google five potential jobs related to that course. This may be tough, but you have to commit yourself to do a lot of digging.
Chat with professors:
Professors are like doctors for the unemployed, use them for guidance. Speak to them in regards to the jobs that interest you and get their thoughts on it. Professors understand the supply and demand in the field and will provide you with the most authentic answer to your questions.
Set up information interviews:
Information interviews are a weapon that most university students don’t use. They are not a job interview, but it is an interview where you as a college student gets a chance to speak to someone in the field. This is your chance to conduct the interview and gain insight into a possible career. Feel free to pick the brain of an expert and gain all the knowledge you want.
Reverse engineer:
By now you’ll have some form of idea as to what jobs you prefer. Now is the time to learn what it takes to get into that particular role. Again, turn to Google and find out what work experience you need to have to get into a particular job and work your way backwards towards the job of your dreams (P.S. LinkedIn profiles can help a ton).
About Kriti Chopra
Kriti is a third year business student, a volunteer for youth at risk and a serial foodie. Her work is inspired by some of the teachings of one of the top philanthropists in America , Tony Robbins.
