The Internet has done a lot to democratize education, and today most employers value skills over credentials. That dynamic creates a double-edged sword. On one hand, degrees hold less automatic weight, so proving that you are worthy of a job offer can be a real challenge. On the other hand, that challenge opens the door to creativity.
The necessity of demonstrating your potential pushes you to acquire skills in novel, memorable ways. If you want to improve your job prospects, the good news is that you have more options than ever.
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In order to prove yourself as a qualified candidate, you may need to stretch your comfort zone, acquire new skills, and engineer your own education experience. Here are five ways to take the plunge:
Lead an Initiative
Are you a member of any student organizations at your school? Whether it’s student government or a social club, you can step up to lead an initiative without being appointed to a specific position. Leading an initiative is an excellent way to build management, planning, and execution skills, while differentiating yourself as a self-starter.
How do you do this? First, identify a problem or unmet need that your organization can address. Next, brainstorm potential solutions and formulate a plan. Once you have a solid plan, ask for help and form a team. Finally, delegate tasks to your team members and put your plan into action. When you’re finished, take some time to reflect on your successes and failures, then apply those lessons to your next initiative.
Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go according to plan or if you struggle to form a team and execute. No matter what happens, the experience will provide valuable lessons that carry into your future work.
Start a Student Organization
Do you see an unmet need that doesn’t fall under the umbrella of existing organizations? It may be time to start your own. By applying similar principles to those for leading initiatives, you can build something new from scratch.
Although the scale and difficulty are slightly higher, new organizations are essentially new initiatives — and a great education experience en masse. Finding early members can be tough, so don’t be afraid to start small. One benefit of starting small is that the group will be more tight-knit, and the founding members will form closer bonds.
When starting a new organization, be careful not to overlap with existing ones. College campuses can be large places, so do your research and make sure the need you see is genuinely unmet. If you find that an organization is already tackling the issue you had in mind, it may be better to join or partner with them to strengthen their offerings.
Write a Blog (Not About Yourself)
Are you fascinated by a specific sector or niche? If you find yourself spending all of your free time learning about a particular topic, blogging can be an excellent way to share your knowledge and establish your expertise. It’s also worth reading the blogs every media professional should follow to get a feel for what good industry writing looks like before you start your own.
When you start your blog, it’s perfectly fine if you aren’t yet an authority in your area of interest. View it as an invitation to the world to join you on your learning journey. As you research and read about your interests, you will naturally find material and insights to share.
A wise man once told me that having a blog is like caring for a Chia Pet. You have to feed it consistently.
Build a Website
Would you like to learn how to code? Free resources like Codecademy can be useful, but you tend to forget what you learn unless you apply it. Building and maintaining a website gives you a way to ingrain coding skills into your memory while simultaneously creating a showpiece for your abilities. The same principle applies to writing: if you want to put together a strong portfolio, you need work to show.
Some people recommend a personal website or interactive resume, but consider building something of greater value. You could create a site to spotlight local businesses or student organizations, or aggregate resources to list campus offerings. The options are endless. Pick something interesting and give it a go.
When you run into difficulties, W3Schools and Stack Overflow are great resources to have bookmarked.
Launch a Venture
What if you could combine options 1 through 4 into one giant learning experience? Launching a venture involves leading initiatives within an organization that you build from the ground up. Whether you go non-profit or for-profit, you will need to establish credibility, so building a website and a digital presence (blogging, social media) are essential. If you want to understand what it takes, this list of traits you need for startup success is a good starting point.
Similar to starting an organization, start small and take things one step at a time. Your venture does not need to be an overnight success. Since most new ventures don’t survive, it’s best to treat your first entrepreneurial attempt as a learning experience and avoid sinking too much capital into it.
If you’re looking for resources, the Kauffman Foundation’s kauffman.org is a great place to begin.
Stop Dreaming and Do.
Now that you have some ideas, go out and create your own project. By embarking on an initiative, you will deepen your own educational experience and present yourself as a more qualified job candidate.
These shouldn’t just be seen as resume boosters, but as experiences that can lead you toward a career path you’ll actually enjoy. And who knows — one of your projects might just take off, and you could find yourself posting your first job listing on Mediabistro.
