Creating a Dream Job: Make the Most of College

Last week, I had the opportunity to Skype with an undergraduate public relations class at DePaul University, taught by one of my former colleagues. I've actually Skyped with and visited a few universities over the last year to speak about using research in public relations. It's become one of my favorite parts of my job because I remember how helpful I found tips from recent graduates when I was an undergraduate. At the end of my presentation, the students always ask questions about what I did in college that has helped me find my dream career.

While I'm not an expert or think that there is necessarily a right and wrong way to navigate college, I can say that certain choices I made over my four years at Elon University have really benefitted me as a young professional. I shared these choices with the DePaul students last week and recently emailed them to a public relations student that read earlier Creating a Dream Job posts.

Image via Elon University

Leadership Positions - While at Elon, I was involved in the student newspaper, student-run communications agency, service organizations, and Greek Life. Being involved is great. However, by junior year, I think it's important to choose which organizations to become invested in and pursue a leadership position. A leadership position is an on-campus opportunity to gain marketable skills and make a greater impact on organizations that you care about. If you don't have as many internship experiences, they're also a great way to speak to strengths you've developed while leading your peers. I also suggest looking to your advisors as pre-career mentors.

Undergraduate Research - I was also an Honors Fellow (nerd alert), which required me to write an extensive undergraduate thesis. I conducted research on NFL fans to determine how using social media causes them to negotiate their identities as both fans and commentators. Yes, that's a mouthful. While that research has been published and nationally presented, the most important lesson I took away from writing my thesis was how to ask interesting questions and develop innovative methods to answering them. If you have the opportunity, I encourage you to conduct undergraduate research at some level. Dive deeper into a topic that fascinates you and share the results.

Diverse Internships - These days, one or two internships doesn't seam to be enough. I completed four during college, including one during a semester and two during one summer. While they all served a communications function, each internship was at a very different company--a non-profit, a record label, a TV show, and a PR agency. Unless you know exactly what you want to do with your life (and who really does at age 20?), I suggest interning at different types of companies that are all related to your interests. By the time you graduate, you will at very least know what you don't want to do with your career. At best, it will make your resume multi-dimensional.

Career Services - In my opinion, undergraduate students underutilize their university's career services resources. Admittedly, I didn't fully utilize mine until senior year. During the first week, I showed up in Ross Wade's office with a list of questions about the best way to map out my last year at Elon. After that meeting, I set up a monthly meetings with Ross, until I was hired in April. Aside from tweaking my resume and helping my personality shine through my cover letter, Ross connected me with recruiters and alumni that specifically helped me find my current job. Set up a meeting with your career counselor and look out for relevant events. They're working to benefit you.

Aside from these four points, choices like studying abroad, working an on-campus job, and performing community service were very beneficial to my college experience. Find the combination that works for you, but make the most of the opportunities around you to figure out what you're truly passionate about.

Image via Elon University