How can I get experience in a specifc area after college?
Dear Jobs Blog: All the internships I've seen posted in my area of interest appear to be for college students only, and I'm not a college student anymore. Are there any options for non-college students looking to get a little more experience in a specific area?
It seems as though when you are in college, there is never enough time. Never enough time to get your homework done, to look for jobs, to meet new friends, to learn a new language, to get enough sleep. There's just never enough time. You struggle to get through those four (or more) years and then when it’s all over there are many things you wish you had done.
The number one thing I hear about is people wishing they had was more work experience or internships. It’s hard to get internships once you are not in college, since the majority of companies tend to want to issue college credit, or only hire college students. But don’t give up hope! There are tons of great ways to add experience to your resume without having to re-enroll in college. Here are some of my suggestions.
- Take classes – whether it’s at a community college, the state school or thru a company training program take something you are interested in to get some experience.
- Work for Free - I know, we all have bills to pay. But if you are interested in web development and need some experience take a look at a site like craigslist, or in your local trade papers to see if anyone is in need of your computer services.
- Dust off your old projects and revamp them! That shows great dedication to taking things you once worked on and how you are trying to make them better.
- Ask around - someone you know probably knows of someone else who has a project or short term assignment and could really use some help.
- Consider a contract job - Many contract agencies hire for three month projects at some of the best tech companies in the world... and they pay really well too.
Hope that helps! Any experience is good experience- just keep building your skill set and keep your eyes and ears open- the next opportunity will present itself if you know where to look.
- Janelle
4 Comments
Microsoft news and tips » How can I get experience in a specifc area after college? said:
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Sean Kearney said:
No chance Redmond is hiring "wanna be" Rock Star's eh?
:)
Bryan said:
It's definately tough to find a gig after college. It's funny but I believe it now when I think back to the words of one of my college professors when he said, "One day you are going to need a doctorate to pump gas."
I graduated from a top 25 nationally ranked business school, and even with a solid name behind me, I found it very difficult to find a career; finding the job was easy.
In closing I would like to pass on a few words of wisdom. Always think for the future, and make decisions that better your future and not just tomorrow.
There are also a lot of good resources out there; one I've found particulary useful is UVisor <http:\\www.uvisor.com>
Bryan said:
It's definately tough to find a gig after college. It's funny but I believe it now when I think back to the words of one of my college professors when he said, "One day you are going to need a doctorate to pump gas."
I graduated from a top 25 nationally ranked business school, and even with a solid name behind me, I found it very difficult to find a career; finding the job was easy.
In closing I would like to pass on a few words of wisdom. Always think for the future, and make decisions that better your future and not just tomorrow.
There are also a lot of good resources out there; one I've found particulary useful is UVisor http:\\www.uvisor.com