Keep That College Degree Working For Your Career – Long After Graduation

Many people out there want to help you with your career. The good news is that your college – from which you graduated long, long, ago – has an entire staff committed to just that.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or a professional well into your career, your alma mater may provide helpful career benefits long after it has stopped cashing your tuition checks. Successful alumni contribute to a school’s reputation and to its endowment, so it has a vested interest in aiding its former students.

Here are some potential lifelong career boosting benefits your college/university may offer:

Career Placement & Support: Most colleges have a career services office that provides everything from individual career coaching to career fairs. Advisors can facilitate connections to potential employers with whom they've built relationships. Some schools have their own job boards to which you can upload your resume. You might even be able to attend their career fairs, too.

Continuing Education: Many schools offer alumni classes at a reduced price through programs designed for busy adult professionals. Whether you want to earn an additional degree or audit classes, going back to your old school, so to speak, is a cost-effective way to bring your skills and knowledge up to date.

Digital Career Resources: You can find a wealth of webinars, podcasts,  virtual career fairs, and on-demand presentations with alumni, career professionals, and industry insiders. In fact, go to YouTube, and you can probably find these originating from a wealth of schools.

Professional Networking: Chances are there is an alumni group where you live that hosts mixers, seminars, fundraisers, or meet-ups for the big game (although these days, Zoom is the preferred platform). These events give you access to prominent alumni. A well-timed introduction can facilitate a career-changing conversation. Events like these are worth exploring post-pandemic.

School Reputation: A strong ranking enhances a school's profile, boosts enrollment, and improves the market perception of degrees conferred to students and alumni alike. If your alma mater has risen in the annual rankings, your earning potential grow with it.

College Friends: You may be surprised who you end up working with during the course of your career. It may be a fraternity brother or sorority sister, or the drummer in your college band. It may come in the form of a referral at a critical time or even investment money. The people with whom you went to college are an unofficial career services office dispersed through every field all around the world. 

Philip Roufail contributed to this article.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at [email protected], or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

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