Did you go to college so you could have a great job when you graduate? Well, did you know that the sole purpose of the Career Development Office (CDO) is to help you reach that goal?
I’m not a spokesperson or an employee of the CDO, so it’s not like they’re paying me to say any of this! But I want every student on campus to know what an incredible resource they are. The CDO is not only a hidden wonder of Fredonia, it’s a golden ticket to the chocolate factory – and by chocolate factory, I mean a successful future!
If you’re a freshman, senior or even alumni of Fredonia, the CDO is available to you — absolutely free of charge. If you’re trying to make or update your resume, the CDO is there to help perfect it with you. If you’re nervous about an interview, the CDO is there to prepare you with potential interview questions, helpful tips and even give you a mock interview. If you’re unsure how to put a cover letter together to apply for an internship or job, the CDO is there with templates and helpful staff to edit and revise it. And most importantly, if you’re looking for an internship, job or even graduate school, the CDO is right at your fingertips, providing you with an endless amount of connections, databases (like Quest), presentations from potential employers, grad school fairs, job fairs, volunteer fairs and updates on new openings.
Your future employer doesn’t care if you have a 4.0 — they care if you have work-related experience. Although a 4.0 is impressive, it’s not the only thing that matters. I really can’t stress enough how important it is to get internships throughout your college career. Not only will it provide you experience within your field, it will actually help you decide whether you chose the right career path or not.
When I was a freshman, the only job experience I had was in the food industry. That wouldn’t really impress any of my future employers in the accounting field. So I ventured into the CDO, and I was told of the endless opportunities that were available.
Simply put, my resume wasn’t impressive, with no real world experience, so it was definitely time to find an internship. I completed my first internship, with the help of the CDO, and it instantly made my resume look ten times more important.
Not only will internships and opportunities give you experience and a better-looking resume, but they will increase your connections exponentially. It has definitely taken a snowball effect, because the more people I met, the more opportunities have become available. I’m now a senior, and I’ve completed four (and soon to be five) internships – all because of the connections I’ve made.
My point is that not only should you use the CDO as the valuable resource that it is, but make the most of your college years. Yes, obviously you’ll have a social life — party, drink, do what you have to do — but don’t waste good opportunities because you “don’t have time.” Learn some time management skills and get some real world experience so you can actually have a successful life after college.