- Attend workshops and conferences
People think that the main benefit of going to university is to get a degree. This isn’t true. A degree is necessary in many careers, but the biggest benefit of university is the opportunity for networking. You will likely never have so many opportunities for schmoozing as you will when studying at university. Take advantage of this. Get your face known by the industry.
- Take group projects seriously
Group projects aren’t just a method used by professors to mark less coursework; they teach teamwork and in many cases can result in a decent project to show off, or even in industry collaboration.
- Choose the right thesis/dissertation
Pick a dissertation subject that will have real-life industry applications and it will give you something more valuable than a nicely bound book that will sit gathering dust on your shelf.
Choose a dissertation that will give you the chance to work on industry standard test rigs, machine tools and/or measuring instrumentation. These skills will help make you employable and will remain with you long after your degree is over. People pay good money to learn these skills outside of academia, and your university is giving you the chance to learn this stuff for free, on state-of-the-art equipment. Use the opportunity to master these things.
You may have noticed a common theme in these five tips. Most of them have an element of volunteering your time to tasks outside of your syllabus. All of them require you to go above and beyond what is expected of you. This is what employers want; they want to see that you can take the lead and show initiative on your own.
As I have said, good grades are as common as dirt in this industry. The truth is, nobody gives a damn about your good grades except for your parents.
Are you the kind of person who does just enough work to make the good grades while spending most of your free time playing Clash of Clans? Or are you the person who stays awake until 4am working on a problem even though it may not have any clear and immediate gratification?
I know which I am.
And given the choice between hiring a person with straight A grades with zero extracurricular activities, and the person with B’s and C’s with a wad of extra projects under their belt, I know who I would pick every time.
Good luck!
This article is from a monthly column called Final Frontiers. Click here to see the other articles in this series.
———
Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Shutterstock.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
