| 1. Let Your Major Pick You | | | | in college a strategic part of your |
| | | | post-graduation career planning - many |
| A lot of college students ask me what majors | | | | employers make permanent offers to their |
| will look best on paper when it comes time to | | | | summer interns. |
| apply for a job or to graduate school. At | | | | |
| this point in your college education, you | | | | 4. Be Smart About Your Financial Future? |
| really have no business committing to a | | | | |
| career yet. You should be exploring - | | | | Most people borrow for college, and for every |
| different classes, different internships and | | | | dollar you spend now, you'll be paying up to |
| part-time jobs, different activities, | | | | two in the future, depending on how long it |
| different professors. Take a wide variety of | | | | takes you to pay back your loans. Check out |
| classes, even if variety is not mandated by | | | | financial planning calculators -- FinAid.org |
| your school's graduation requirements, and | | | | has good ones -- to figure out how much money |
| you'll figure out pretty quickly which ones | | | | you need to be making after graduation to |
| you're passionate about. | | | | make your monthly loan payments. Save your |
| | | | credit cards for emergencies, and don't fall |
| 2. Follow the Professors | | | | for those seductive credit card pitches on |
| | | | campus. Get in the habit of tracking your |
| Find out who the best teachers are and load | | | | spending (check out Moneypants.com) - it's a |
| up on those classes. The best teachers could | | | | habit that will serve you well for the rest |
| lecture every day on the history of Brazilian | | | | of your life. |
| trade unions and you'd still be fascinated | | | | |
| and learn how to think. A site like has its | | | | 5. If You Lose Your Bearings, Take a Breather |
| limitations, but it's just one more resource | | | | |
| to help you find the best ones. (And if you | | | | Sometimes life gets in the way of our best |
| want to see that shoe on the other foot, | | | | intentions. You won't be able to go back and |
| check out ) Start cultivating relationships | | | | do college over again, so make sure you can |
| with your professors - be engaged in class | | | | give school your undivided attention while |
| and talk to them during office hours. Don't | | | | you're there. If external circumstances make |
| be afraid to ask for help. Aside from the | | | | that impossible (a recurring or serious |
| academic benefits, you'll need them for | | | | illness, serious family difficulties, needing |
| graduate school recommendations in just a few | | | | to work more than 20 hours per week), explore |
| years, and sometimes they have industry | | | | taking a semester or even a year off to get a |
| contacts as well. | | | | handle on whatever that problem is. Most |
| | | | students in these situations try to push |
| 3. Do Your Own Career Research? | | | | through the crisis, and their transcripts end |
| | | | up looking like train wrecks. They'll have to |
| Many professors and college administrators | | | | explain and make excuses for their grades for |
| (including folks at the career center) | | | | a long time to come. You're much better off |
| haven't spent much time outside of academia, | | | | showing people a transcript with great grades |
| so don't treat them as your only resources as | | | | and having to explain why you needed to take |
| you explore careers and line up internships | | | | time out in the middle. |
| or other job opportunities. Make every summer | | | | |