One of the most important things to your career and future after college is getting some experience in your field; the only problem is you are still a college student. Many companies will skim over your resume and probably throw it away.  If you are lucky you might get a call back from a company who is willing to give you a chance.  Most of the time it really comes down to who you know and not what you know.  If your dad is the VP at some company you will most likely get a job there because your dad pushed your application through.  You may also know someone who works in the specific field you are interested in and that could be your window of opportunity to getting a job, but more importantly getting some experience in your field.   What if you are the ladder?

What if you don’t know anyone in your field?  What if your dad isn’t the VP of some company that can give you a job tomorrow?  Then what?  Be prepared for a lot of frustration and rejection.  I hate to tell it like it is but it all comes down to who you know and not what you know.  If you don’t know anyone that can help you get your foot in the door then you’ll probably fight an uphill battle to get some experience in your field.  You can’t just sit back and wait for someone to find you, or something good to come along, you have to go out and make it happen yourself.  This will only strengthen your personal skills and your confidence as you will get a lot of practice meeting new people and talking about your skills and experiences.  You’ll also be able to identify your weaknesses and be able to make them better.

Most employers are looking for the perfect candidate to fit their position and their are probably a lot of people who will apply for the same job that you do, and may be more qualified then you.  So what do you do in this cut- throat process of finding experience in your field?  Stand out from the rest.  Find things that you have done in life that makes you better than the others.  Identify your biggest strengths and then emphasize them on your resume and during interviews. What makes you better than the rest?  If you can’t think of anything then find something to do in your free time which will make you stand out from the rest.

My example is simple:  I’ve always wanted to own and operate a website ever since I can remember so I decided to learn web design and development one summer break during college.  SMB College Life is what I have to show for my initiative.  I studied web design and development on my free time, observed a lot of other websites and finally came up with the perfect combination to present as my ‘final work.’  The best part is that employers love it.  Most people I talk to love the fact that I say I want to do something, and then learn the things that I need to in order to do it.  This is what makes me different from others.  While most people talk about they things that they want to do and identify the things that stand in their way but never take action I actually take the necessary actions and learn what I need to in order to do the things I want.  Great things come out of taking action and you’ll have a great experience to talk about which helps you to stand out from the rest at your next interview.  Good Luck!

As the semester continues to wind down most students are thinking about what they’ll be doing for the summer, but senior college students may be more concerned with graduation. As college seniors enjoy their final days in college and prepare for graduation the may begin finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Most seniors have been in school since they can remember and it might feel very reassuring that they are finally finish and can start their careers. For other seniors, the pressure may start to set in as they need to find a full time job and begin paying back student loans.

Some seniors graduating in the Spring may already have jobs lined up and well on their way to a great career while others might not know what they will do as they cannot find a job in their field of study.  It can be a very uncomfortable feeling to not have a job secured and to not know where the road will take you in the next few weeks.  Instead of getting discouraged and giving up it may be time to develop a “Plan B” if you don’t already have one.  There’s nothing wrong with working elsewhere while you search for a job in your field. You might need to become more flexible with your desired location, or job title, or even salary just so that you can get your foot in somewhere.   Once you’ve gotten your foot in the door you can start to learn more about the industry and begin to make a lot of important contacts which may help you to earn a raise, or get promoted, or even relocate to a different city or company.

If you do not have a job lined up already do not get discouraged!  There are hundreds, if not thousands of companies that are looking for a person just like you to fill a position in your field.  The hard part is sucking up your wants, and settling for what you need at this point.  Once you’ve got you foot in the door you can start going after what you want.  The important thing is to get your foot in the door, or get you name out there to start letting people know you exist.  Make as many contacts as you can now and something will come along eventually.  You just have to do a little footwork to get what you want/need.

Check for follow up posts in the future!

The week back from spring break can be one of the hardest weeks in college life. Harder than the week before and even harder than finals week. The week after spring break we have to leave the place we’ve grown to love, the place we’ve had fun in the sun all week, the place were unforgettable memories were made and friendships made stronger, only to come back to our college town and continue on with the grueling semester. I found that this week is so hard for me because I cannot get back into the swing of doing work. Not only have I suffered from jet lag, but I’ve also been reluctant to begin new assignments or even make it to early morning classes.

These actions and feelings will soon pass as we are faced with more due dates, projects, and tests. For some, spring break can be a reminder of a few important things. It can remind us of exactly where we want to be in life and is a great indicator of why we are working so hard now. If we work hard now to achieve the things we want then we can play hard in the near future. Most people cannot see past the present, but for those who can, let spring break be a reminder of the things you want or the lifestyle you are working so hard to achieve.

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SMB College Life Blog

One of the most enjoyable things of college life can be taking a break after a long semester. I have to say that as much as I love studying engineering it tends to wear me down and there’s nothing I need more than taking a break sometimes. I decided to get away from the cold weather to spend my break relaxing by the beach. The past two weeks I’ve spent my winter break sleeping late, playing guitar, starring blankly into the horizon, and, of course, collecting information for SMB College Life. I’ve been taking this well deserved time off from my college studies to catch up on the things that I miss out on throughout the semester.

I don’t have much time throughout the semester to do anything other than homework and studying so I’ve been spending my winter break doing the things I normally don’t have time for. I’ve realized something today while blankly starring at the horizon today and wanted to share my thoughts. Today it hit me that I’m always “on the go” so to speak throughout my college life and am forced to think ALL the time. Not many people outside of engineering really understand how much time and effort we have to put into or education. As an engineering student I’m always working on something; whether it be homework, projects, or studying for exams. I rarely find the time to stop and let my brain relax; with the exception of my occasional 5 minute bus ride across campus. Even then I spend that 5 minutes planning for the rest of my day, or week, and trying to fit everything in.

I normally give up things like playing guitar, drawing, reading about business…..basically all my hobbies when the semester rolls around because I just don’t have the time to fit them in. That leaves little to cut out of my schedule when the work begins to pile on. Eating is the first thing to get cut from my college life in order to make more time for my workload. The next thing to go, unfortunately, is sleep. This past fall semester I found myself spending at least one night a week without sleep due to the various projects, homework and studying that I needed to do for all my classes. Some Friday’s I found myself so worn out that I’d end up crashing after my last class and sleeping through Saturday morning. So how did I make it through the semester? Caffeine….A LOT of Caffeine!

I think I’ve made Starbucks rich this past semester with my multiple daily trips to get coffee to keep my brain functioning. At this point I’m thinking they should sponsor me to walk around campus in my normal sleepless haze, carrying their branded cups. They should honestly consider making me an offer before I switch to the new Dunkin’ Donuts that just opened up down the street from them. They have a lot better coffee anyway!

The whole point of me ranting on about last semester is that I cherish this break from my college life. We should all take this time to not only recoop from our very hectic college lives, we should also catch up on the things that we miss out on thorough the semester. You know my grandfather laughed at me the other day saying that I’ve been sleeping half of my days away, and THAT IS EXACTLY what I intended to do after the many sleepless nights throughout the semester.

I also used a lot of this break to let my mind rest. Like I said before I never stop thinking, solving or planning throughout the semester; I never have time to let my brain rest. Because of that I’ve been using this time to rest my brain by doing a lot of nothing. Granted, I have spent a few days in the bookstore reading a ton of information and gathering even more resources to provide to you through SMB College Life, but to me, that’s relaxing. It’s also very rewarding as I feel that the information I provide will help parents and student to not only plan and prepare for college, but also to save money on various products you may need through SMB College Life partnerships. If I can help one person then my efforts have been a success, and I am very satisfied.

I hope that everyone is enjoying, or has enjoyed their winter break and I encourage all who are still on break to make sure you spend it the way you want. Do the things that make you happy, the things that define you, and the things that you may have to give up in only a few more days to survive another college semester.

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SMB College Life Blog

This was the greatest weekend I’ve had in a long time, probably ever! I’ve been a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright since I was a kid and can remember doing school reports on his designs and architecture; mainly the house named “Falling Water.” I finally had the chance to see it this weekend, and to spend with my roommate and one of the coolest girls I’ve ever met. It was spectacular….like a dream come true. I can’t describe how excited I was to be there because I’ve wanted to see Falling Water since I was in grade school. After touring the house and spending time walking around in awe the coolest girl ever decided to take us to some of the nature spots in the area. I didn’t realize how beautiful Western PA was until this weekend. We saw rivers with white waters, walked through waterfalls, and slid down a natural rock slide into a pool of water. We crammed so much stuff into one day, and it turned out to be probably the best day of my life. I learned a lot this weekend and really wanted to share it with the people who may be reading this:

1. The number of friends you have does not matter. If you have a few GREAT friends then life is perfect. Choose your friends wisely.
2. Don’t let anything stop you from reaching your dreams. Often in life we find things (excuses) that we put in the way of our dreams, things like money, school, work, a relationship, etc. Try to ask yourself; “Am I just creating an obstacle?”
3. Don’t ever pass up an opportunity to try something new and exciting. After seeing the waterfall I actually thought about not walking in it because I thought the water was too cold! Had I not corrected my thinking I would’ve been so mad today because I passed up a once in a lifetime opportunity.
4. Live for today and today only! After the waterfall I heard about the natural rock slide down the road. I had to see the slide that day, since I was already there. I don’t know if I’ll wake up tomorrow so I’m not going to let something I could do today wait until tomorrow!

This weekend was a great learning experience and an amazing time with some GREAT friends. I’m so glad that I took the adventure this weekend and that I met a few good friends that could make it a truely amazing experience. This summer is great!

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