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Preparing for Graduation

As the semester is coming to a close, many students are preparing not only for finals, but for graduation and the “real world.” This can seem incredibly intimidating and terrifying at the same time. As someone who is graduating in May, I have come up with a few tips in order to help you prepare for graduation.

In order to ensure that you graduate on time, make sure to visit your advisor. They can help plan out all the classes that you should be taking, and ensure that you make the residency requirement. They can also begin to point you in the right direction for possible job openings or be a great reference. Advisors are an incredibly helpful resource that will ensure your time at Texas A&M and your graduation goes smoothly.

The Career Center is also a good resource to draw upon when preparing for graduation. They can help you create and edit your resume, recommend career paths for you to take and how to create your own path if necessary. Through helping you work on creating your brand and image, they can impact your future career search immensely.

Pinpoint where the field you are interested in pursuing is growing. By looking at where the future of your field is going, you can ascertain what you should be studying and learning more about. Understanding the future of your field will be very helpful not only to you personally, but when you are interviewing for positions, you can share your knowledge with your interviewer.

In order to maximize your visibility to potential employers, utilize Hire Aggies and create a LinkedIn. Hire Aggies was created to help you throughout the entire career exploration process. It allows you to explore, find internships or job shadowing, or start the full-time job search. This service was created by Aggies for Aggies, so all of the job listings will be with Aggies. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with more than 562 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Career Fairs are also a great place to look for jobs or even create networking contacts for future use. Going to career fairs that take place not only at Texas A&M but elsewhere will also give you a leg up in your job search. If possible, look for a career fair that is happening around the area you would like to work in. Continuing your education after graduation is also very important, whether it be through classes pertaining to your career field, or a completely different topic, continuing to learn will strengthen your image and your brain.

Finally, I would like to discuss whether or not the first job you have has to be the perfect fit. A lot of times I personally get caught up in looking for a job that meets all of my needs exactly, but after discussing this with my advisors and others, I have learned that your first job does not necessarily have to be the absolutely perfect fit for you. Wherever you get a job, you will be gaining experience and learning different skills, which is incredibly valuable. You can utilize the skills that you learn at this first job as a stepping stone into a different job that fits you more.