Back From Holiday Break: The Opportunities

It’s hard to believe that the much anticipated holidays are already over. How did those days fly by so quickly?

But here we are, back at school or getting ready to return. Time to say good-bye to family and our friends from home. It’s time to put our brains back to work and to the test. Are you ready? Let’s shoot for a resounding YES!

New Classes, New Opportunities

Depending on your school system, it may be a time to start the school year with new classes and new teachers. What a fabulous opportunity to impress yet another professor. And another great opportunity to network with your classmates. While they may be your classmate now, it won’t be long before they are your job competitors and critical network group. So, let’s quick chat about that!

School can be a time to set yourself apart from the crowd. Who is that crowd – your classmates. But these same people may someday be applying for the same jobs that you are applying for. Take a moment and think about that. How can you set yourself apart from them? By joining a club? Through becoming a teacher’s aide? Getting on the honor roll? School isn’t just about the present but it’s about your future. What can you do now that will set you apart from the crowd in the job opportunities of the future?

Besides being your competitors, they can also be part of your future network. They may be the connection in the chain to you getting a particular job. As the saying goes, it’s not always what you know, but who you know. Build a strong reputation for yourself now and it will serve you well in the future!

Have Some Fun Too

While school is a great time to set yourself apart from your colleagues and network, I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight that it’s also the time to have fun. Let’s face it, for most of us our responsibilities are lower in university then they are after graduation.

Take advantage of this time to experiment and have some fun! Try new things, go to new places, and build a diverse group of friends! In short, have some well-deserved fun! School is a great place to learn and build the foundation of your career; however, it’s also a great time to get to know yourself better too! Explore a bit and have some fun with it. Once your career takes off it’s possible you may not have as much time to do some of these things!

What Opportunities Do You See Returning to School Brings?

Are you going back to school this month? If so, what opportunities do you see for yourself? Or, are you like me and it’s been a while since you’ve been in school? If so, what do you wish you would have done more (or less) of?