Right now, the holiday break might seem like a great time to do nothing. But after a few days of R&R, you’ll probably be ready to do something worthwhile. Here are some suggestions on how to make your break fun, relaxing and meaningful.
- Challenge yourself to learn something new. Get outside your comfort zone and test your interest in learning a foreign language, sign up for a creative writing workshop or watch a financial planning podcast.
- Refresh your resume. You should always have a current resume ready to send on a moment’s notice. Add what you’ve accomplished in the last year, such as work successes, school progress and extracurricular activities that might help you land a job or internship.
- Get ready for the next term. Think about what worked for you last semester and what didn’t, then come up with a practical plan that better meets your needs. Maybe you need to rethink your class and work schedule, allocate more time to studying or take advantage of the university’s career services.
- Volunteer. Volunteering is not only rewarding, it can help you develop new skills and enhance your resume. Look for opportunities in your career field, like helping a nonprofit organization with their marketing materials, tutoring underserved students or coaching a youth sports team.
- Job shadow. Tap your network of friends, family and work colleagues to see if they know someone in your field that you could job shadow for a few days. Watching them work can teach you what your profession is really like and show you what skills you need to focus on.
Tackling one or two things on this list (or more, if you’re really ambitious) will keep you energized during the break and help you get ahead in the long run. Go for it!
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