Career Tips For College Graduates

With the end of July fast approaching, many high school seniors will soon be preparing for their final year of education before heading to college, the armed services and/or the work force. Whatever your personal choices are post High School, here are 10 tips to assist in making the best of the next stage of your career path.

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1) Have a working and open relationship with your HS guidance counselor. Counselors are there for a reason, and they have many tools and resources at their finger tips to assist you and to point you in the right direction. Speak freely with them about your grades, desires and expectations upon graduation so they can make the best of your last year in preparing for what’s next.

2) Talk with Your Parents, Guardians or Mentors. Be realistic about what your family can do to assist with your future planning. Everybody, unfortunately, does not have access to great support systems, whether it is financially or emotionally. It is important to understand how much your parents can help as soon as possible with any financial assistance and also with moral support of your decisions after HS.

3) Do not get a severe case of senioritis. Whether you apply for early admissions for the college of your dreams, or if you are still on the fence about if college is right for you, maintain good grades. You may change your mind about attending college and you do not want any issues with grades, attendance or conduct to thwart any chances in the future.

4) Attend college and career path workshops and expos. Your guidance counselor and teachers will have a plethora of information surrounding these events in your area. Also, if your parents agree, you may want to attend college tours to assist in making your final decision as to which school you would like to attend. While on these tours, get pertinent contact information from the clerks, secretaries, professors and deans who may be in the department you plan on majoring in.

5) Do Your Homework. If you know that you know that you know that you want to major in entertainment or fashion, pick a school and a city where the opportunities for internships are greater in that field.

6) Get a Job. Some parents may be against students working while finishing their HS studies, but if your parent is not against it and it does not negatively affect your grades, get a job and start saving money. The summer before I left for FAMU I worked everyday / all day as a baby sitter and saved a lot of money to help with small expenses my freshman year at school.

7) Apply for as many scholarships as possible. Some of you may not graduate at the top of your class, however, there are tons of scholarships to assist every type of student in their next educational effort. Look into scholarships offered by churches, community based organizations, Greek letter organizations, etc. Shake the tree hard and often to get the most you can from what is being offered.

8) Seek internships early. Some programs such as InRoads offered great internship opportunities for recent HS graduates before they entered college. This gave students that chance to get up close and personal experience that they may apply to their first year studies.

9) Attend Early Orientations. Once you have applied and have been accepted into the program or job of your choice, get to know your future classmates and/or colleagues early to assist in your transition. I am still cordial and keep in contact with some of the ladies I met during early orientation. Bonding with like minded individuals helped me in feeling secure once I finally left home.

10) Have fun, but remember why you are there. Whether you are thousands of miles away at college, at a community college up the road, or working for your family, always maintain sight of your ultimate goals, no matter how far fetched they may seem now. Have fun, make new relationships and never give up on you dreams.

Rashida Maples, Esq. is Founder and Managing Partner of J. Maples & Associates (www.jmaplesandassociates.com). She has practiced Entertainment, Real Estate and Small Business Law for 9 years, handling both transactional and litigation matters. Her clients include R&B Artists Bilal and Olivia, NFL Superstar Ray Lewis, Fashion Powerhouse Harlem’s Fashion Row and Hirschfeld Properties, LLC.