Unfortunately, we live in a society where possessing a college degree is not worth much without having the skills and work experience to back it up. This means that partaking in extracurriculars while in college is imperative to a student's success.
Like many, I too was unsure about what career to pursue. However, towards the end of my sophomore year in college I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the education field, specifically in college access and higher education. Therefore, I sought out experiences that would deem me a competitive job applicant for my time after UC Davis. My first and longest job at Davis was working for the Undergraduate Admissions department. I loved that job because I supported and empowered Northern CA first-gen and low-income community college students in their transfer pathway. In this role I learned a lot of skills such as event planning and coordinating, collaboration, career advising, content creation and public speaking. My last year at Davis I began to also work for the Sociology and Anthropology department as a Peer Adviser. I remember wishing for this job because I knew it would provide me with a glimpse into my future career. While working in this role I discovered I preferred to work with students in a one-on-one setting in comparison to group setting, which is what I was used to doing while working with community college students. Although there was plenty of overlap in these two roles, both taught me multiple skills and provided me with a deep understanding of what my future can look like.Work experience will allow you to learn more about yourself, how you best work, improve soft and hard skills and begin to cross off some professions off your list!