Written by: Jude Bokovoy

Senior year brings a whirlwind of emotions — including excitement to be finished with college; finding a place to move and starting one’s career. At the same time, each of those things can be equally as stressful. Applying a few of the tips below can help ease one’s mind and prevent some potential headaches as graduation grows closer.

Start thinking about the future now — Think about jobs, destinations, living situations, relationships or whatever else that could come into play when starting the post-college journey. Narrowing down one’s career field of choice can be the first step that will determine one’s next destination. What comes into play when picking a place to move to? Is it one’s job, being close to family or a spouse, weather or cost of living? Figuring that out now can help establish what’s important when searching for the perfect place.

While still here, take advantage of opportunities — The lull between now and graduation is prime. The diploma will soon be in hand, but for now, one can sit pretty focusing on coursework, figuring themselves out and exploring what they might want for their future. This is the optimal time to gain some experience and add to one’s resume. Whether that means working a full-time job, an internship or even volunteering in the field of work one is striving to enter, every bit of experience helps. 

Soak it all in — For most of us, this is the end of the long road of education. No more general education credits, math classes or filler courses to take. This last term and a half is it. Take this time to work hard in the final push, put oneself out there and most importantly, make memories that will define one’s college experience. Don’t sweat the small stuff and spend these last few months doing the things one will be pleased to look back on.

Looking for assistance to help one figure all this out? Go on Handshake to make an appointment with one of the Center for Professional Pathways staff members. They offer resume reviews, career counseling, career assessments, internship/practicum advising, job searching mock interviews, graduate school counseling and much more.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu