The Initiative: Experience and Internships

College enrollment hit 18.0 million in fall 2007. College enrollment is expected to continue to rise through fall of 2016 at record breaking levels.   Between fall 2007 and fall 2016, enrollment is expected to increase by 14 percent.  (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/) 

These facts tell us that the market is going to become more and more flooded with young people enrolled in colleges across the country seeking Bachelor’s degrees and higher, with the possibility that those desired positions after college may not be available to them.  This is due to the unpredictability of our current economy, and job uncertainty is everywhere.  Only 19.7% found jobs upon graduation compared to 26% in 2008, and more than half in 2007 (NACE). 

This is a reaveling trend.

If this number continues to decrease as the number of people with degrees and pursuing graduate-level educations increases, employers will be flooded with the same old-same old.  What is going to make all of these seemingly simular college grads stand out and be able to grab the job you went to school for?  Its experience.  Any experience is better than none.  All school without experience does not show that you will be prepared for the working world. 

Being able to show employers that you can mult-task with jobs, internships, school and life’s problems can go a long way in making you stand out amongst your peers.  Experience will better equip a graduate than any textbook can, I mean think about it.  If you were an employer and had hundreds of resumes coming your just an entry-level position (what a college student would be looking for) and had to decide amongst all of them that appear almost exactly the same–what would make one out of those hundreds even give that employer a second thought?

Initiative is shown by young people stepping outside their comfort and convenience zones, by multi-tasking and gaining valuable work experience while you are pursuing your degree.  If i were an employer this is what would impress me, put yourselves in their position and think about it.  While you are in school, make use of your career services centers to help yourself find experience which will make you stand out amongst your cliche peers. 

Show initiative, you can’t pay for experience like you can pay for a Master’s degree.

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