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