You don’t have to be a seasoned professional to have a great list of contacts. In fact, if you think about it, you probably already have a number of contacts that you made without really thinking about it. All of your classmates and professors are contacts. That is a pretty good start. Also, everyone that you have ever worked for or interned for is a contact. Not only can these people all offer great job hunting advice, but they can also lead you directly to the source- a great company that is looking to hire. Here are some great tips for networking and job hunting:

- Job hunt with friends. Did you have a study group while you were in school? If so, get together a similar group for job hunting. Even if you had exactly the same major as your classmates, it is likely that you will all have different feelings about what kind of jobs you want to have. Therefore, get these trusted friends together, talk about what you want out of a job, and then get to hunting. Of course, look for jobs for yourself. While you are doing this however, note any jobs that might be perfect for one of your friends. In so doing you can help each other find great opportunities.

- Get in touch with previous employers. When you are getting close to graduation, be sure to get in touch with previous bosses and supervisors to learn about what is going on in the industry. Perhaps they know someone who is hiring and can give you a good recommendation. Also, make sure that you get in touch with any companies that you interned for. If you would like to work for them full time, be sure that they know this and ask for them to think of you if they have any openings.

- Talk with professors. If you had a particularly good relationship with one of your professors, be sure to ask him or her if he or she knows about any great job openings. It is likely that your professor will be able to help you with some leads. If not, he or she might be able to help you brainstorm about networking ideas that would work particularly well in your industry.

- Play the home field. If you went to college away from home, be sure to consider the contacts that you have in your home town. Perhaps there is a job for you back home.

- Go to job fairs. Many school host or sponsor job fairs. Be sure to attend them and speak with representatives from every company that you would like to work for.

- Post your resume on web communities for your industry.

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Earning a graduate degree is perhaps one of the most time intensive yet rewarding challenges that a seeker of knowledge can undertake. Few people, however, consider the big picture when it comes to the entire financial aspect of earning a master’s degree. Tuition will undoubtedly be one of the biggest expenses, but there are other things to consider as well. Does your degree program allow you to work while you attend school or will the schedule be too demanding? If you cannot work, one needs to consider living expenses and funds for emergencies.

The cost of tuition for a master’s level degree ranges from $12,000 at smaller colleges to in excess of $80,000 at some of the Ivy League schools. On average, at a state university, a student can expect a total cost of about $40,000. Be aware that these are just tuition costs. Traditionally, there are also costs for each book, registration fees, and application fees as well as possible fees for parking depending on your school.

Then, there is also the cost of living. You know more about your unique financial situation than anyone else. So, it is up to you to decide how you will handle this. Be sure to interview people in the academics department, career services office as well as current students if you can. This way, you will get a more accurate portrayal of life at the school. You can then determine whether or not you will need to work full time, part time or not work at all. If you are in a financial situation that does not require you to work during your degree, you may consider volunteering at a company that operates in your chosen field of study. Or, the career services office may be able to help find an internship near your school. True, these options may add a part time job to your schedule, but you will be better off in the long run for a couple of different reasons. First, internships allow you a place to network among peers in the industry. I am sure you are aware of the old adage, it is not what you know, but who you know. If you play your cards right, you might just find yourself a job before you have completed your degree. Second, even if you do not find a job with the company you volunteer at or intern with, you will gain valuable insight into the industry while providing yourself with professional references and experience.

Finally, you should always have money set aside for emergencies as well as health insurance. Too often, people fail to plan in these areas and end up making a costly mistake because of an unforeseen circumstance.

So, you need to decide how much it will cost you to live every month. Do not be afraid to put yourself on a budget and adhere to it! Outside of that, planning ahead is the best action that you can take to ensure your success in school.

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When searching for the things that set you apart from others in your field, it is important to remember that your skills, talents, and experience make you one of a kind. As many human resources managers can attest, people often share similar educational background and qualifications, but each individual is very different. Your personality, motivations, and talents what will set you apart from similar job applicants and provide you with a career edge. The key is to discover the things that make you unique and then build on these strengths.

How can you learn more about your own unique strengths? The following are some helpful methods that can reveal your special talents, interests, and motivations. Try out several different methods in order to find out more about yourself.

1. Think about some of your past experiences. Have there been any significant events that helped shape you into who you are now? How did you deal with these experiences? The way you cope with different life events can reveal a great deal about your unique strengths. Write down how you reacted to each experience and then list the skills and abilities that you relied on. These methods of dealing with each experience are talents that form an important part of your personality and self-image.

2. Think about your past accomplishments. How did you achieve these things? Write down the steps you took to pull off each accomplishment. Your ability to set goals, your motivation to accomplish these goals, and your continued resolve to complete future goals are an important component of your unique self. Also consider why these goals were so important to you.

3. Challenge yourself to try new things. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into a pattern where we only try the things we are comfortable with. Testing yourself to try new things can reveal a great deal about your unique strengths and abilities. Even if you completely successful, you will learn a great deal about how you deal with the unknown and how you respond to a challenge.

4. Take a career assessment to learn more about your unique abilities. Career assessments are a great way to get to the heart of your unique strengths, interests, and experiences. A career assessment involves taking stock of your career satisfaction, your individual passions, and your personality. A career assessment often involves taking personality and aptitude tests or filling out an interest inventory. These career-planning tools can provide excellent feedback on your unique talents and strengths.

5. Allow others to see your unique talents. Take advantage of opportunities to shine in your career. If you have a knack for public speaking, volunteer to give a presentation to clients. Any chance you have to use your unique abilities is a chance for others to notice and give credit to your strengths. Building on your one of a kind talent, interests, and experiences is the surest path to career success.

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One thing a prospective freshman will hear over and over before going off to college is “It’s nothing like high school.” Students never really understand this comment until they are actually on campus.

College is all about becoming an adult and living your life to the best of your ability. Gone are the “popular kids,” and the “cool table” in the cafeteria. You don’t have that freshman hazing scene in college. In high school the frosh are the low kids on the totem pole. In college there are so many orientations, mixers and meet-and-greets that it’s easy to build new friendships before the school year even starts.

Upper-classmen enjoy the fresh faces and new personalities of the freshman crowd. The biggest shocker of all is usually the amount of personal freedom involved in the learning process. In high school Mr. Smith, the English teacher, will hand out a sheet of notes and give a lecture that you are expected to spit back out word for word on the test. In college, Professor Smith will give her lecture an may very well ask for your opinion. There wont be any phone calls if you miss class three days this week and you’ll still be expected to take the test and pass it. There is no one to hold your hand or walk you through your classes. You are there because you want to be and what you get out of it is up to you. Because you pay for the privilege of going to college its up to you to get your money’s worth.

The personal freedom shocker stretches into your social calendar as well. Not only are there a plethora of dances, clubs, organizations, meetings groups and events to choose from nightly but your also faced with your classes and academic responsibilities. Its sometimes hard to know when to put a damper on the nightlife and get back to the books.

In high school, most of the people you attend class with are lifelong residents of the town. People you grew up with. People who have the same beliefs and background that you do. Chances are you go to church with these same people and your parents went to church with their parents. In college it is very likely that you will meet someone from across the state, across the country or across the world. You will hear and see vastly different ideas and cultural stand points than your own. Its a wonderful learning experience and part of what makes your college experience uniquely your own.

The differences in high school and college can be scary, but rest assured it will take no time at all to feel adjusted and comfortable in your new environment. These are the days that will create memories that last a lifetime.

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Go Into The Summer Proud Of What You’ve Accomplished
Study hard! The first piece of advice you should hear about having an enjoyable summer is that you should work hard in school BEFORE your summer vacation. Go into the summer break as a triumphant young scholar who has had victory over every exam and paper they threw at you over the course of the school year. Of course, you can still have a great summer even if you got a D in physics, but you’ll have an even better one if you buckle down and get that B, or A.

Make Sure You Enjoy Your Summer By Planning It
How will you plan this summer when you’re busy studying for physics? Especially if you’re having a challenging year at school, you might not have a lot of free time. However, the most enjoyable summers take a little planning, and you want one, right? You also deserve it. So, the next time you catch yourself daydreaming about when all of your homework will finally all be over, switch over to a productive mode and make that dream a reality.

Vacation Getaways
If you’re chained to your computer this semester, or stuck in the library 24/7, you might be fantasizing about the perfect vacation. If you start your plans early enough, even if you don’t have a lot of money, you and your friends can have a great time. Figure out where you’d like to go and start a savings plan. If you don’t have a job, you can probably get one that will fit into your busy schedule if you stop by the career services office.

Volunteer Opportunities and Internships and Your Ever Increasingly Important Resume
As long as you’re at the career services office, maybe you should look into work for the summer as well. While it’s true that you’ve already worked hard all through the school year and the idea of work during your vacation might not be so appealing to you, consider this: the work that you do this summer, if you do it, will not require you to write papers or do homework in all likelihood. It will be a different kind of work, and because you’re choosing it, it will probably be more fun than what your physics professor makes you do. Equally important (at least), any work that you do during your summers in college will help you down the road when it’s time to apply for jobs after graduation. If you do an internship or a volunteer position in a field you like, your experience will make you a stronger applicant when you’re applying for a job in that field. And, if you happen to think an industry sounds great, take an internship in it, and find out it’s not for you, that’s information you should be very glad to have.

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