Friday, October 24, 2014

LAST FEW MOMENTS - We are all in this together (Tips for finishing college strongly)

To be honest I have struggled coming up with ideas to write about for this blog. To me everything has been very factual, and me talking at you instead of relating to you, my audience. I have found myself looking at other websites and articles just to come up with ideas to write about, and once I find something to wirte about I feel like it is an unorginal thought. So this time if you can stick with me, I’m going to try to write about something that I can relate to. Something I have first hand knowledge of, instead of learning about a topic 30 minutes before I write about it. So here it goes…

It's 2:00am. in the morning. You are sitting in your room staring at the empty coffee cups and red bull cans surrounding your desk as your “study time” Spotify playlist hums quietly through your headphones. Not only do you have an 8 a.m. class in the morning, but you also have 9 other odd things that need to be done by the end of the weekend. Naps are planed at 4:30 in the morning for 3 separate periods throughout the day, you skip class to work on the final project for said class, and only the desk lamp and your computer screen glow in the congested and dark cave you have hidden in for the past few weeks. Silently thinking to yourself, “college is hard”.

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If something like this sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. You are probably just a senior in college waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel to appear with regular sleeping hours, a consistent social life, and a bank account with a heartbeat. By now have your resume is all nailed down, and you have attended every possible volunteer opportunity within the last 3 months, and because you recognized you don’t have enough “experience” to be considered for the job you actually want. You start to spin into panic mode.

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I’m here to tell you No. Stop it. You’re fine. You should be worried when you go out every night, get 8 hours of sleep, and are up to date with every Netflix series you have ever watched. College is hard, and you have to put in the time in order to succeed. I often hope that the real world is more controlled than the world we live in now. Hopefully that’s why they only let us stay for a few years and give us the incentive of not paying tuition in order to leave.


Since this is a sport business blog I have decided to come up with a few different tips and tricks to get you through the last few college months and onto the job of your dreams. Theses are some of the things that have helped me come back off the edge of a professional level breakdown.


 1.    Like mentioned previously, GET YOUR RESUME IN ORDER AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

I’m talking like right now, today or tomorrow. If you haven’t started to think about it yet, now is the time. Sometimes putting what you have and have not done down on paper is a real eye opener. You may feel like you have done enough but once you see it physically; it might be a little shortcoming. DO NOT PANIC. Most colleges have services that allow you to talk with someone who not only knows how to make resumes, but knows how to make resumes look good. Having a well-put together/attractive resume is becoming more and more important in our technological world. Submitting a resume online is very popular in todays job searching world, and when you are not present to back up your paper verbally it has to speak for itself. Have confidence in yourself and what you have accomplished and portray it in the best possible way for potential employers to see.

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 2.   UNDERSTAND YOUR SKILLS AND WHAT YOU CAN BRING TO THE TABLE

All jobs, especially sport related jobs, are all about results. Knowing what you can provide, and being able to present that to potential employers is key in achieving the goal of receiving the position you stay up every night thinking about (Light at the end of the tunnel). Employers want to know that you can turn your talent into results. With as much emphasis as we had earlier on the importance of a resume, employers often don’t look at GPA, or what club you were VP of in college. They look at you as a potential opportunity to better their team (business) and if you can not help the team, or even tell them how you can help them better their own team, they will pass over you and look for the draft pick that will lead them to success (sports innuendo?). Know what you can do and be able to display your skills to those judging you. This last little bit of college you have left is your time to sharpen the skills you have as well as develop new pitches (more sports innuendo) that can set you at a higher level above your competition.


 3.    ASK FOR HELP

By this time your studies have taken you to a place where really only you and those with your same major know about. Overall college experiences can be relatable but when you ask your Quantum Physics major roommate, or your Bio Chemistry drinking buddy to explain what he or she learned about that day, after the first three words you hear what sounds like a forgotten language.

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Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help during this time, or you even forget you can ask for help, it simply doesn’t even cross your mind. My advice is to remember you can always ask for help. Whether its support and words of encouragement from your educationally clueless parents, or if its real help from the tutors available to you, asking for help is always an option. Everybody can always use a little refresher course in organization or time management and that can be just as helpful as writing a few pages of the midterm paper due in a few days. Remember as your sitting in your study dungeon there are others out there doing the same wondering if they will ever make it out alive just like you. I think its high time to get over the embarrassment of asking someone for help. Sometimes asking for help can make you seem like you can’t do it on your own. Also its often a block for some because it makes them look like they are unable or dumb. Really being able to ask for help takes enormous courage and shows that you are extremely invested in your own wellbeing, and it shows that you really care about how you do and your drive to succeed. I encourage you to ask for help when you need it especially from those who care about you. I guarantee they are chomping at the bit to help in anyway possible because that what true friends and family are for.

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Well if you have made it this far I applaud you.

I don’t think you realize how much I enjoyed writing this piece. This was the first post where I was able to get my thoughts out on paper as it allowed me to speak how I would do so if I were talking directly towards you.

I hope you were able to find at least a hint of good advice or encouragement for the last little bit of schooling we have left, and hopefully you take this opportunity as and advantage to prepare yourself as much as possible for the road ahead in the job world.

I encourage you guys to tell you me what you like or didn’t like in all of my posts, feedback is cherished and connecting with all the readers out there is the point of this assignment. So tweet it out, share it on Facebook if you think it will be helpful to others, or at least show it to someone else if in need of a study break.

Well, that’s all for now

Until next time…

Keep moving forward!


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