First-Year Series: Exploring Your Summer Possibilities
Life doesn’t always turn out the way you expect it to. It’s possible that the career development goals you set out at the beginning of the semester didn’t work out. This article will help you learn more about what you can do this summer to continue to achieve your professional development goals.
This article is based on the “Exploring Your Summer Possibilities” event YNCN hosted on March 4 to address what you can do this summer to continue to achieve your career development goals after rejection. Check out the slides from the event here.
Dealing with rejection
Facing rejection is normal. Learning to persevere and bounce back from failure is an invaluable skill in the workplace and in life.
Remember that job hunting is a skill that is developed over time and may depend on luck and good timing. Even if you did not have a particularly good semester this year, there is still time to succeed as a student.
Keeping motivated
Though it is easy to feel disheartened and disappointed in things not turning out the way you wanted, do not lose hope. Even if you do not have work experience in first and second year, you can still find a PEY or internship position. Even if your grades are below your expectations, you can still find a good job.
There are many different paths to success, and one summer does not define your academic or professional career.
Celebrating the successes
What truly matters is your professional development. Regardless of the outcome of whether you have a job this summer, if you developed yourself professionally through learning more about what career you want to pursue or speaking with upper-years at one of our YNCN events, that is a success. Remember that every networking experience and interview are building blocks for the future.
Exploring your summer opportunities
It is important to stay motivated because now is the time to reevaluate your professional development plan and create a new action plan for the future.
First, reflect on your career goals, what your skills are, what you want to learn, and what you are passionate about. This is covered further in the infographic below.
Then, try taking action steps to continue fulfilling your career development goals this summer. Some possible action steps are highlighted below.
- Update your resume. Reflect on the skills and experiences you do have, and highlight those on your resume. Ask friends and mentors to look over your resume and give you feedback.
- Instead of doing an internship or research experience, gain technical experience by doing your own project that you are passionate about and proud of. Improve your confidence in technical interviews by studying and practicing relevant concepts.
- Use your interests and passion to discover and learn more about different possible career paths.
- Stay prepared by looking into application deadlines and requirements in advance for employment opportunities you want to pursue next year.
- Reach out to upper years and alumni in the field that you are interested in to learn more about their careers. This is also great for building up your network.
- Sign up for workshops, mentorship programs, or events run by industry associations or extracurricular clubs for students regarding professional development. These will help you meet potential long-term mentors and also learn something new!
Opportunities will not necessarily be dropped in your lap. Try your best to put in the effort to reach out to others and find meaningful experiences and your hard work will be rewarded. We wish you the best!
Resources
YNCN is a professional development club for students by students! We have many events throughout the school year and other articles that can support you in your professional development journey. Here are some of our YNCN tips for improving your resume, cover letter, and networking:
- YNCN’s Student Resume Guide
- YNCN’s Student Cover Letter Guide
- YNCN’s Ultimate Undergraduate Research Guide
- How to: Network
- How to: Network at a Career Fair
- Building Your Online Presence
Non-YNCN Articles on Dealing with Rejection
