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Checklist for College Students/Grads to Help Avoid/Reduce Quarterlife Issues

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by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

 

Numerous experts have identified a point in many people's lives when they face anxiety and a sense of being adrift, lost. People change jobs, change careers, change lives. As identified in the early 1990s, this time of life is not a midlife crisis, but a quarterlife crisis. Read more in our article, Navigating the Quarterlife Crisis to Career and Personal Success: Five Strategies for Fulfilling Your Dreams.

 

College students and recent grads can help reduce -- or avoid -- the quarterlife crisis by using this checklist.

 

Quarterlife Crisis Avoidance Checklist for College Students

 

Acquire experience -- through part-time work, co-ops, internships, volunteering. Get career information -- conduct research; talk with professors, alumni, and career services; job shadow; schedule informational interviews. Develop career network -- start building and expanding relationships with people who can help you in your career development and job search. Cultivate career skills -- learn how to network, make good first impressions, write a resume, answer job interview questions, negotiate job offers. Start early -- obtaining a liberal arts education and planning a career are not mutually exclusive actions. Go to your college's career services office today… and read It's Never Too Early -- or Too Late -- to Visit Your College Career Office. Take some business classes -- everyone should be required to take a few business classes, perhaps even a minor. How many people are never going to have any interactions with business? None. Find a mentor -- having someone older to reflect on your goals, anxieties, and ambitions can help. Mentors can be family members, family friends, professors, former bosses, etc. Find time to discover yourself -- one of the main purposes of college is helping you learn who you are, what you love, and what you can become. Read: So You've Graduated College... What's Next for You? Eight Critical Issues Facing New Grads.

 

 

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

 

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.

 

 

Have you taken advantage of all of our Career Checklists for Job-Seekers?

 

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

 

 

 

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