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College is out, graduation over and suddenly there is s stampede of young people looking to find a job, waving graduation papers in hand. Theoretically, the queues are forming round the blocks at careers offices, recruitment agencies and the many firms looking to recruit. There will be disappointments as freshly released students set out to make their way in the world of work, only to find their intentions thwarted. But does it have to be like this? The answer is no!

Having the qualification does not automatically guarantee that someone will get a job and, what is equally important is that, if the search is left until the day qualification is achieved one has to realise that there will be a lot of competition for the position offered. At that point you as a newly qualified person will be competing with all the other qualifiers from colleges and universities throughout the country for a position within firms that are looking to take on fresh new talent.

Therefore the key words are to "be prepared." Presumably, towards the closing stages of your study you will have some idea of the career that you want to pursue. Similarly, you will hopefully have some inkling as to your chances of securing qualification. So why not start building the foundations of a career before the course finishes? Don't leave it until the last minute.

Many prospective employers will have an idea of their intake of new students before the end of your qualification year. Therefore, in my opinion, start early and, armed with your CV, albeit with the qualification aspect marked as pending, you should be approaching these firms for interviews before the end of the exams. You will by then be able to give them some idea of the standards that you have achieved to date, together with any reports of your activities and work rate at the university. Prospective employers may look favourably on the fact that you have taken the initiative to act in this manner, and it also shows that you are serious about putting your studies to good use in the commercial world.

Another issue that affects new graduates is the disappointing levels of salaries that they might attract. It has to be remembered, although too often it is not, that graduation is not a passport to large salaries. It is simply a key to getting you into the next stage of the learning process. As you did with the college course, you will now have to prove that you can learn, this time though it will be learning how to apply the theory in a practical environment. The employer is not going to pay an experts salary to you during this period, although the carrot is there, in that if you apply yourself to this new learning task you can aspire to higher salaries and benefits, as well as good career prospects in terms of promotion. It is important to be prepared to accept the cost of this learning if you really want to achieve your long-term objective.

Graduation papers show that you have the dedication and tenacity to apply yourself to achieving. They do not guarantee a fast track to wealth, position and future. To achieve the higher levels of your chosen career, you will have to apply the same dedication to your work learning as you did to your studies. To build a solid and lasting career means taking the learning that you have achieved at university and using that as a foundation upon which you can expand your learning in the work environment. The only way to the top of a work ladder is to work your way surely and confidently up each step. If you take this approach you will end up with a career that you and your family can be justly proud of.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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