An article by Ohio based contributor Lizzie Weakley.
To begin almost all careers, one needs to receive a college education first. Most employers will not even look at candidates unless that candidate has a relevant degree. Because of this, college programs play a major role in preparing students to enter their respective career fields. Here are five of the ways college prepares you for the ultimate career of your choice.
It Provides Education
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is one of the primary reasons students attend college—to learn the ins and outs of their field. You learn the history and the theory behind what you do and how to apply it to real-world situations. It opens your mind to think of different solutions and approaches to subjects. This gives you a pool of knowledge to draw on both at the beginning and throughout your career. But don’t forget that you never stop learning, and continuing education is necessary for all career paths. In many ways, college kicks off your specialized learning in your field that will continue throughout the rest of your career.
It Provides Training
All college programs offer some degree of hands-on training for the careers this education is preparing you for. Whether you are going to school to be a hairstylist or a historian, your classwork prepares you for the kind of work you will be doing in the profession once you are out in the workforce. For example, history and English majors learn how to write well and communicate their thoughts clearly, as well as defend their theses and debate arguments. These are skills anyone will need to develop going into these professions. Students in computer science get hands-on experience writing different varieties of code. Even if your degree is not in a trade skill, you still will learn valuable skills that will be of great help throughout your career.
You Meet People
One of the most valuable things you can gain from college is a network. Connecting with other students, professors and even industry professionals during college is excellent preparation for networking and interacting with people on a professional basis post-college. The people you meet in college might prove to be important connections for getting jobs later, business partnerships, important professional contacts and more.
Internships
Many college degree programs require internships for completion. Even for those that don’t, completing an internship is very helpful, and perhaps even becoming necessary, for securing a job upon graduation. More and more employers are using their internship programs to find and hire their entry-level employees. An internship will give you actual working experience at a company in your field to put on a resume, and you might even be issued a position outright. Choosing a college program that requires an internship is a near sure sign that the program is heavily invested in the professional success and placement of its students.
Career Resources
Nearly every college has varying degrees of career resources for their current and former students. For example, California College San Diego posts helpful career tips, such as how to perform well in interviews, on their social media pages. This is obviously very helpful in preparing you for landing a job. Most colleges offer students things like mock interviews to help prepare you for workplace or internship interviews. They will also connect students to former alumni for mentorship or even job placement.
For most professions, college is an invaluable step on the way towards obtaining the career of your dreams. The people you meet, the things you learn and your experiences will all make you prepared for an easy transition into the workforce. So when considering whether a college education is for you, or how one will help you, do take into consideration the ways college prepares you for a career.
My name is Lizzie Weakley and I am a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. I went to college at The Ohio State University where I studied communications. I enjoy the outdoors and long walks in the park with my 3-year-old husky Snowball.
If you like Lizzie’s style of writing please follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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