Coker Graduates Give Some Advice to Continuing Students

caption -- One of the interesting projects of this academic year was some site-specific dance routines that were part of Hanna Beard's honors research project.




"Remember that things take time. Just because you don't get your dream job right after graduation doesn't mean that it won't come. Be patient and have fun figuring things out. A job is a job until the right one comes along."

As students and faculty approach finals this week, I thought it would be a good time to share some of the advice given by Coker College Communication grads who were graciously took part in my sabbatical survey of graduates. Since there were more than 60 responses of 84 possibilities, I will use this space over time to try get most of the advice in. I really do appreciate those grads who shared their ideas, words and time to complete that survey.

"I will complete an MBA in the next two years. In my case, i wanted some real-world experience before completing a masters of MBA. i would recommend to business students to get some real-world experience; the theoretical business you learn from course work."

You can see that the advice coming from graduates covers a variety of ideas. Here's another than when I might say it will mean one thing but coming from a graduate I think it has a much deeper impact:

"Take full advantage of internships- My first boss told me that he was impressed that I actually had experience in my field of study. In today's job market, it's probably even more important. Accept the fact that you have to start at the bottom and do it with a positive attitude- I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed people my age and younger come into the workforce and expect things (raises, job titles, jobs within the company, vacation) to be given to them instead of working for it. Proof your resumes and writing samples. When I was features editor for a newspaper, I was shocked by the terrible resumes and work that people would submit."

With our seniors getting ready to end their four years at Coker, this last piece of advice is probably a good one to end on for this blog:

"Savor your college, because time is fleeting."