7 things you need to get done at the university: a personal experience
Work And Study / / December 25, 2019
Wessel Lys (Liz Wessel)
Businesswoman, CEO WayUp, which helps students and graduates to find work.
At the University we are constantly surrounded by new people, ideas, experiences and opportunities. Faced with such an abundance of easy to forget that this is not going to last forever. Many of my friends have spent on the education of hundreds of thousands of dollars and several years of life, and now regret that they did not have time to do something while learning. Here is a list of tips that will help avoid such regrets.
1. Write to the people with whom you want to meet
This can be your university graduate who has achieved great success, the writer whose book will change your view of the world, and a pioneer in the field of interest to you. find their email and try to strike up a conversation.
Most of us are not comfortable writing to strangers and afraid to be denied. But people are usually happy to help students with tips, so use this advantage. Mention it in the very beginning of the letter. For example, in the first sentence: "Hello, my name is ___, ___, I'm in."
If you have something in common with the destination - for example, you were at school or engaged in volunteering in an organization - also write about it.
It really helped me the most. By the end of study in the University of Pennsylvania, I had two job offers: on the position of Marketing Manager at Google and a place in the venture fund. Both positions seem terrific, and I do not know what to do.
I do not quite understand that assumes each of the positions, but I knew that in a few years after graduation I want to set up his own company. Therefore, I wrote a very famous venture investor, and told about the problem. He answered me and advised to go with Google, to gain the necessary experience. If I did not follow this advice, Now everything would be different.
2. Find friends, you can rely on
My success is largely dependent on the people I met at the university. If then I do not make friends with them, now my life would have been different.
Get five friends for whom you are willing to bet. It is not necessary that it be the future face of the cover of the influential journal. Let it be those who you admire and want to change the world for the better. Over a lifetime, they will become your support group, own board of directors and a team of superheroes.
Do not delay the search for such friends later. At university you are surrounded by thousands of smart people, so it's the perfect time.
find out👭
- How to start and not lose friends: personal experience and scientific approach
3. Sign up for a course where you can get hands-on skill
Although I liked my core subjects (Political Science, Japanese, and Mathematics), turned out to be the most useful additional course in Graphic Design. Perhaps in ordinary life he helped me more than any other items combined. For my colleagues, with whom we established WayUp company proved so important course on negotiation. Now he is holding meetings with our investors.
Find something similar for myself. Even if your first Job ideally suited to their specialties, you definitely need other skills. Choose the options that can be applied in different areas and that change your perspective on things.
4. Run your own project
For example, some businesses, clubs, publication, public campaign, a series of movies or anything else. Creating a plan, implementing it in reality and keeping the project afloat, you'll get invaluable experience. He will prepare for future work, in whatever sphere you then choose. I realized that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, that when I was in university.
I doubt that I would have founded WayUp, if it had not tried to do business in 19.
Students here have the advantage. Sponsors are more willing to help if they know that you are still learning and doing a university project. In addition, the university has a faculty who can give advice, fellow students ready to participate, grants and awards, classes and equipment. Use these resources while you can.
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- 3 reasons that prevent to open a business, and how to overcome them
5. Find your professor
This may be the one who leads the subject, from which you have a good sense of mind-blowing. Anyone who is engaged in research in the area of narrow, you really get involved. Or the one who in a special way looks at the world and who can learn from this view.
For example, I wanted to study with a professor: he is a true expert on entrepreneurship. But it turned out that the students can not enroll in his lectures initial courses. I came again and again, until I was not allowed to participate. Later, he helped me develop a business plan that formed the basis WayUp, and we communicate so far. I can definitely say that this professor, and not only its subject, changed my life.
6. Go to adventure
In adult life, it will not be enough time, especially early in his career. No more summer vacation, unless you are not going to work in the field of education. So relax and try new until it easily.
Look for a summer internship abroad, go on a long journey, sign up for a course at another university.
Understand where the boundaries of your comfort zone and learn get out of it. Try to be in a totally unfamiliar environment. Then not be able to deal with such things carelessly.
7. Get as much practical experience
This does not mean that every summer need to undergo training or look for jobs in the same place. Try as much as possible just to make your experience has been varied. So you will understand what you want to do, what you like and what not, what succeeds and what is not.
Plus students one job can be changed for another, and thus not be considered as unreliable. But if you do so every six months after the release, it can spoil the impression of you.
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- 9 skills for which should get higher education
- On what the student earn 5 unusual ways to get money
- How to get higher education in the US