Warhawk Alumni: Coming Soon!
Warhawk Alumni: Coming Soon!
As I sit back and look at my class list this semester, it has hit me. I will be walking across the stage and moving out of Whitewater in 4 short months…WOAH. I realized that many of you may be in the same boat as me, so as I prepare myself for what is coming, maybe this will help prepare you too.
Get a credit card – you will need it.
Life is going to get more and more expensive and soon you will have a big girl/boy job that will start helping you pay the bills. Now, don’t go and use that credit card to buy all of the rounds at the bar every weekend, use it to invest in yourself. Do you own a good suit? How about a good pair of interview shoes? Do you know what a pad folio is? Use the card to invest in quality purchases that will help you succeed.
Hangout with your friends – you probably won’t have any in a few months.
The sad part is, we all don’t get jobs near each other. Some could be nearby towns, but some could be across the state or even country. Enjoy these last 4 months with your best friends because these are the last weeks of grabbing pizza at 2AM after a night at the bar on a Wednesday or staying up all night talking boys and sleeping until noon the next day. Soon the real world will force you to bed by 10PM and up before the crack of dawn. You have 4 more months to live life to the fullest with only small responsibilities, take advantage of it!
Take care of yourself – appearance matters in the real world.
Once you graduate, it is no longer acceptable to wear sweatpants on the daily along with not combing your hair for weeks at a time. Remember that credit card I mentioned above, here is another reminder to go get one. Buy yourself clothes that make a statement, so when you get an interview, they will remember you. Crazy that this advice is coming from me, as I own every style of shirt and pant in black and only black, but I’ve been told color does some good for the soul.
Apply to jobs – anything and everything.
So after you have a new wardrobe, partied it up with your friends, and realized that showers are good, now you need to find a job. Remember that dream job you have always wanted? Apply for it! Although, don’t let that be the only position you put yourself out there for. The more jobs you apply for in numerous areas you would consider living, the better chances you have to have your photo on the front page of the UW-Whitewater website with the heading “Hired Before Graduation”.
Life is about to get scary, but the best part of the future being so close is that you are finishing up your schooling at an amazing college. There are so many resources available to you, like the Career & Leadership Department in the UC, check them out for any type of help you may need! Also, when life knocks you down, maybe you didn’t get that first interview like you had hoped for, take it out at the gym.
Get excited, soon you will be a Warhawk Alumni!
“Always remember that it doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you keep on going”
~Kenzi Weidman