About Career Blog

Summertime, and the Living's Easy

The sultry summer months are here and while it may be tempting to laze around, many students are beating the summertime blues by taking advantage of their free time. Whether they are hunting for a part-time job or plumping up their resumes, these months of sunshine skies are beneficial to many.

I personally have used my four summers of collegiate time to take classes at my university and increase my time at a part-time job. I have found that the pace of summer classes is ideal to my personality, as the schedule allows for more information compacted into fewer class meetings. In addition, the extra time not spent in the classroom permits me to work more and earn higher wages.

Another benefit I've seen from planning my summers out carefully is the opportunity to study abroad. While I only spent three weeks out of the States, I was very lucky to take two courses for my degree and see the Irish countryside. The trip would not have been possible without some research about what my school was able to offer during the summer.

No matter what you choose to do with your summer months, it is always important to remember that the time is fleeting. Unless you plan to stay a student forever or are working within the education system, you will probably not get a solid three months off during the rest of your life. So use the time wisely but soak it up while you can!

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Posted by Amanda on 8/20/2009 08:58:00 PM
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Knock 'em dead

Once summer has ended and you’ve gone to the ends of the Earth to beef up your resume (or at least pulled off a month of work study), the next step is, naturally, to write up a resume. As an inexperienced resume-writer, you’ll make mistakes that the pros wouldn’t – and then some. You could hire a professional resume consultant if you have the time and the money, but if you’re reading this blog, you probably don’t. Don’t worry – you won’t have to rob a bank to get your resume noticed (though if you successfully pull that off, it’d certainly demonstrate that much-sought ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit essential to landing a job in this market, but still, I have to advise against it). As I mentioned in my last entry, your school’s career services department is always there to help you get your foot in the right doors, and resume drafting and proofreading is one of their specialties. Best of all, these services are free, and usually available to alumni in addition to current students. If you feel your resume is still a little feeble even after the summer workout, it’s time to give it a little personal training courtesy of your school’s career service professionals. Once given that little extra TLC, you and your resume will be rough, buff, and ready to blow knock prospective employers’ lights out. Figuratively, of course.

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Posted by Brian on 8/16/2009 04:00:00 AM
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Make your crippling debt work for you

If you’re like most American college students, you’ve assumed a healthy debt for the privilege of receiving your school’s education and utilizing your school’s facilities. You might as well stretch your (or your loaning institution’s) dollar by enlisting the aid of your school’s career services department. It’s their job to help you land internships, summer jobs, and part-time work around campus, and they’re not too shabby at it. Not only can your career services department land you in the money (or somewhere closer to it) – they can help you establish lasting connections with members of their staff and those of the corporations, public entities, and communities that they represent. If your job search has been turning out duds, turn yourself over to career services – you have nothing to lose, and hey, it’s your (borrowed) dime. Take it as far as it can go.

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Posted by Brian on 8/11/2009 01:09:00 AM
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