College Survival Guide: Senior Edition

Being a senior in college means applying for graduation, looking for jobs, and having an overall mental breakdown. Lucky for all you readers, I am here as a senior surviving my final year and I’m ready to share my secrets.

The first issue we face at the beginning of the year is acknowledging that we are expected to graduate in May and instantly turn into adults and working professionals. The best way to prepare for this is to start off with an internship and treat it like a real job.

Taking the initiative to apply for an internship early on teaches students the importance of time management. I started my internship with FiRE+iCE in January of 2010 thinking I’d just do it for semester credit. It started off as work but turned into learning about Google analytics, social media interaction, blog writing, and the proper ways to research contacts while creating a database. Clearly there was much to learn so I extended my internship indefinitely.

Okay now that you took the step towards looking and acting professional its time to get all the tools and accessories that no one told you about. Yes there are secrets that you only learn of when someone decides you’re ready. I’m not sure who this someone is but for right now it’s going to be me.

Undergrad Checklist:

-Business Card

-Blazers (girls)

-Suit Jackets (guys)

-Padfolio (google it if you must)

-Good pens

-Brief case/Computer bag

-Online portfolio

-LinkedIn profile

-Tide to Go

-Facebook: We’ve all heard the lecture but its true; get the Solo cup pictures and hazy photographs off your profile. Employers know how to search you.

-Google Yourself: Web and Images. You’ll be surprised what comes up.

Getting through senior year is never going to be easy, but if I’ve learned anything in the past year at FiRE+iCE, it’s that if your passionate about the field you’re working in the work wont seem like work. It will come naturally. A mentor/supervisor/boss like the one we have at FiRE+iCE will be a supporting figure that will make or break the experience.

As I walk across that stage in May and move my tassel over I’ll be looking back not only at all the hours I spent interning but also at all the life lessons and marketing tricks I learned. And you can bet any FiRE+iCE cocktail that I’ll be waving back at my boss and the rest of our family, known as FiRE+iCE Marketing Team.