When you graduate college and step out into the real world, you kind of get this feeling like you don’t know if you’ll succeed with the set of skills you’ve gotten either from your classes or from your internship experience.

It is very easy to feel scared to apply these skills because you’re afraid you won’t be good enough. I’ve certainly felt this way before but I have learned so much this past year and now I am willing to share a set of helpful tips and advice to those who are getting ready to take the plunge into the real world:

1) Get an internship or part-time position that in-part, applies to your career. You have no idea how helpful it is to have a base of knowledge of what you’re studying. And hey, it looks wonderful on your resume.

2) Travel. Don’t give up searching for jobs but I’d also like to encourage you to travel and get out of your comfort zone. Still haven’t found the job of your dreams? Consider travelling or finding a job somewhere out of the country. If you think about it, once you land a good job, you will be there for a while and you won’t have much vacation to travel as you’d like to.

3) Research. Start looking at different organizations and companies you’d like to work with and check out their employment opportunities (Do this Spring before graduation). It’s always nice to see what kind of positions the companies are looking for and what position you would fall under.

4) Consider Graduate School/ Certifications. I remember my last year of school I was very scared to even think of grad school because my brain was fried up with knowledge and all I wanted was to start making money. Well, I definitely encourage you to look into graduate programs, especially if your major seems to be more defined by it.

5) Network. I definitely encourage you to speak to fellow alumni who are working in the field of your interest. They will have wonderful insight and advice since they’ve been out in the real world for a while. Feel free to reach out to Career Services as well, they have resources and can assist you in reaching out to your fellow alumni.

6) Enjoy your last year of college. Don’t let the stress of Senior year and finding a job right out of college get to you. You will make it. You will succeed. This is your time to make memories and take it all in because this might be last time you’re in school. This might be the last time you see some of your friends, who will eventually end up in another state or country.

Go after what you love and as cliche as it sounds, don’t give up!

– JMRA