Once the school year ends in May, whether you will be graduating or not, what are your plans for the summer? Will you be packing for college? Will you be travelling to another country? Or will you be working at a summer job? The summer provides students an ample amount of time to do anything they wish to do. Take this opportunity to not only diversify your job experiences, but prepare for whatever you wish to create for your future. In this OWINN blog we will discuss ways to utilize your summer break to enhance your career pathway.

There are many things you can do over the summer. If you are currently in high school or college, completing your academic credits is one way to enhance your career trajectory. Whether that be finishing uncompleted credits you may have missed, or completing credits in advance; which could help you complete your classes early. Completing your credits early can also mean graduating earlier, and could positively shape your career plans.

You could also be drafting your resume, cover letter, and/or curriculum vitae over the summer. Creating such documents required for jobs, internships, fellowships, etcetera, can take hours, even days, if you plan on creating a professional, clean-cut, document about yourself. By utilizing the summer time toward this, you are able to not just hone in your time on creating documents that will inevitably affect your career pathway, but help you understand what you have done over the past years through reviewing all your academic and personal experiences. It takes time to create a resume. No need to rush on it during the school year. By completing your resume, and all other necessary documents during the summer, you’ll be able to apply effortlessly to a handful of jobs throughout the years to follow.

Volunteer! To volunteer around your community, from being a camp leader to teaching kids how to play an instrument at your local recreation center, is a great way to not only enjoy your summer but help you understand what your interests are in relation to your career pathway. This could also greatly impact your resume and curriculum vitae as it shows although you go to school and/or work, you still dedicate a portion of your time giving back to your community, which many employers and organizations find great interest in.

This is your summer; you can do whatever you want to do. However, utilizing your three month break to further your academic progress, job application planning, and expanding your experiences, will not only help you in the later future, but offer you an experience like no other.

Story by Kyle Catarata – OWINN Special Projects Coordinator