This is a guest post from STRONGside, a fellow Yakezie and a personal finance blogger at Money For College Project.
College is a time to learn right?
I would like to humbly submit that the most important lessons learned in college are not the ones taught by a professor, but rather the ones you learn as you grow up and mature into an adult (at least that is the goal!)
Earning a college degree is as much a right of passage into adulthood as it is earning a credential that will secure a job. Your college years are a time to discover your passions, your strengths, and figure out what you will do with the rest of your life.
With that said, please follow along as I recount the dumbest mistake I ever made in college. My hope is that you can learn from my mistake, and never experience this yourself or from one of your children.
My Story
In August of 2003 I walked onto a college campus with a wide-eyed look of anticipation and a self-diagnosed case of ADD.
I was the first person to go to college on either side of my family. With my family’s blessing, I proclaimed that I wanted to go to law school. I made the decision to major in Political Science, in anticipation of applying to law school immediately after graduation.
My freshman year was a breeze. I thought it was less difficult than the AP classes I took in high school, and I moved onto my sophomore year with a very inflated opinion of myself.
Sophomore year punched me in the mouth.
I began to take more difficult classes, I began to realize that college was not a walk in the park, and I realized that there were indeed (many) people that were smarter than I was. Second semester sophomore year I took a business law class that changed my whole outlook on law school. I could not imagine myself taking another class like that, let along an entire degree based on law.
Here is where my mistake begins.
When I finally reached the conclusion that a career as a lawyer was not for me, I made the decision to simply minor in business rather than changing my major to something besides Political Science. I reached this decision because it was the path of least resistance. I had already taken too many credits in my Political Science degree to switch majors without
extending my college days beyond 4 years. I chose business because it accepted many of the classes I had already taken, and the list of classes seemed easy.
I never consulted an academic advisor, I never visited our career center, I never discussed it with my friends or family, and I never sought the advice of someone I respected. Had I done that, I likely would have discovered that a Political Science degree is virtually
worthless if you do not plan to go to law school, or into another Masters level program.
Fast forward two more years and I graduated on time, with a 3.07 GPA and zero job prospects.
What I Should Have Done and What You Should Do
When I first got to college I was so focused on earning my degree, I did not even consider what would happen after I graduated. I did not have the foresight, nor I did not consult with someone who had the foresight, to sit down and make a plan for my future.
I had a bad case of living in the moment, and it was a huge mistake.
Fortunately, there are many ways to plan ahead while you are in college.
Career Centers
Many colleges have excellent career centers. They go well beyond your standard “take this skill assessment and we will tell you what career you should choose”. After all, we cannot all be forest rangers or truck drivers (which is what my skill assessments told me…)
These career centers have career counselors who will take a personal interest in your future and help you choose a career that is both satisfying and desirable. They will also take the next step and help you figure out what you can do while in college to help you reach that goal.
They can refer you to an academic counselor who will help you choose the right major for the career that you want. They will help you get plugged into extra curricular programs and activities that will be exciting, and beneficial.
They can help you with mock interviews, resume critiques, job searches, and salary negotiations. They will help you to develop the career skills that you will never learn in a classroom.
The best part about all of these services? THEY ARE FREE!
The career center is funded by your college tuition. Most students never darken their doorstep, and miss out on one of the best free resources on a college campus.
Internships
Another excellent way to determine what career is best for you is to participate in multiple internships. I would highly recommend that you take internships in different career fields, so you can get a real-life taste of what those career fields are like, before you take the plunge and commit yourself to a full-time job.
Internships are generally found within your major’s department. The head of your department is typically the best resource for internship opportunities. Many colleges also hold career fairs where potential intern employers come on campus to recruit students for internships.
The beauty of this system is three fold: you get to experience what real life is like within your chosen career field, you get paid while earning valuable on the job training, and if you perform well you are often times a top candidate for any open positions that company may have after you graduate.
The Bottom Line
I urge you, and your current or future students, to not make the same mistakes that I did. Have a plan for your future career, and make the most of the career planning services available on your college campus.
I am fortunate enough to have found a career that I am passionate about, but it has taken multiple jobs I loathed, a lot of stress, and a Master’s degree in an entirely new program of study.
This mistake is easily avoidable, and it will give you and/or your student a jump start over the vast majority of their fellow college students!
My Thoughts: I haven’t done my college in US but, anywhere in the world the learning systems works the same way. There is help available on campus. If you take the course you are passionate about, you get well ahead of others. Many of us take up a course just by looking at money earning potential. Remember there are many high paying jobs without college degree
We need to keep in mind that passion makes us successful in career and there by, earn us more money.
It was intermediate accounting my sophomore year. The first test was ridiculously hard. That helped me to refocus and I never looked back after that experience. I think we all have moments that teach us important life lessons.
@Paul — I think you are exactly right. It really comes down to identifying those moments in your life and making the best decisions possible when those life lessons confront us. I don’t think I could have made it out of beginner accounting!
My big mistake was thinking that I had the discipline to party as much as I did and still be able to dedicate the amount of time that was required in order to succeed.
The problems you mentioned tie directly into personal financial mistakes as well: not seeking out qualified guidance when you were at a crossroads and trying to go at it alone. I can’t stress enough the importance of getting advice and guide from qualified and specially trained people before getting yourself into a situation that can be potentially devastating. I cannot even imagine what the people who flip-flop between majors numerous times go through mentally by the time they realize that it could have all been avoided if they had sought out the resources you mentioned.
You have a very good point financial decisions are not really different than making decisions in college. I personally turn in to internet for advice as far as investment is concerned. But for my investments I really do not know when to seek experts. I compare the return on various investment. I do compare risks as well and take my own decisions.
HA – my mistake sounds a lot like erics. Too much partying. And I was too dumb to realize that the time when I got really good grades, I wasnt partying near as much as when my grades were poor. Didnt even see it. I did find something that I enjoyed and was good at and had a career path, all without much work!
College life is almost our first taste of freedom, it’s very difficult to apply self control. Glad you recovered well.
I think many college students make similar mistakes as you made. We all know choosing the right major can be a difficult process and changing your major can be even more difficult. For me, I majored in electrical engineering which I really did not like. But, I did not change my major so I ended up graduating with EE. It worked out for me because I took EE major and used it to get a computer science job with programming.
are you still working in computers?
Yes, I am.
I made similar career choice mistakes. I’ve always wished I’d taken more opportunities before college to learn about careers and review each major’s class requirements.
I did visit many guidance counselors though and did not find them very helpful. I often felt as though they were out of touch with the job market and would even suggest jobs that were not entry level.
The problem with these in house counselors is they go by latest trend and market demand. They really don’t try to see what you want to do with your life.
I always try and talk people out of getting a degree in business, or a field like this that is not useful in the job arena. Learning on it’s own is commendable but getting a degree that won’t be useful to you is, well, useless and expensive if you consider the return on investment.
When I went to university, it was an unplanned, last minute thought. I was in my mid-twenties and desperately needed something to do. I was probably the most unprepared student there ever was, hence the student loan. After I repaid the loan, I did the math one day to find out what my education really cost. For me, it was get a government loan or don’t go to school, so I chose the loan, and honestly, thank goodness it was an option.
I made the mistake of picking my major based on the subject matter I enjoyed learning. A liberal arts BA in Psychology gets you nothing! Luckily my lack was easily cured by tacking on an associates in computer programming after graduating.