It’s the Little Things That Count

In attending a university such as Syracuse University, there are a lot of expectations and standards that students and parents hold the school to, one of the main ones being to provide students with opportunities to gain relevant experience and get their name out in the world. While many students don’t think that the small chances to get themselves out there mean anything, they can be the difference between getting that internship you’ve been dreaming of for so long as opposed to the one your dad was able to swing for you just to have as a back-up. They can be the difference between making that connection that will last you a lifetime as opposed to sticking with what you know and not widening your network, leading to potential missed opportunities. And they can be the difference between gaining the necessary skills and knowledge employers are looking for, putting yourself in the best position to acquire whatever job it is that you want when you’re older, as opposed to being on the same playing field as everyone else applying to the same job.

Many schools have various ways to get students involved, whether it be inviting in speakers to give lectures or presentations, hosting partner programs with certain companies and organizations that students can then get involved with, or just offering services to help find similar opportunities to these. The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is one school that is great at setting up events and finding opportunities like these for students. One program that the school offers is an alumni partnership that takes place over winter break. To get involved with this, students are given a list of potential internship opportunities and are then encouraged to apply by submitting their resume to participate in one of these programs with a Newhouse alumnus over break. They also constantly have speakers coming in and presenting to the students on various subjects, whether it simply be about their career and how they’ve gotten to where they are, or choosing a distinct topic within the communications world that they find particularly interesting or important to educate the students about. Having and utilizing an alumni network at any school or in any internship or job is critical to creating new opportunities and opening new doors.

However, every school may not have the ability to sufficiently provide students with these opportunities. So, what do you do if you want to find opportunities like these but don’t have access to them? Well, while it may take more effort on your part, it is possible to create opportunities like these for yourself if you want them badly enough, and social media is a huge factor in this. According to Luttrell in her book “Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect,” social networking has become one of the biggest forms of creating new connections as websites such as LinkedIn and Twitter have emerged as major networking platforms. These websites allow people to connect at the click of a button and to share information about themselves relating to their professional careers so others can learn more about them. Utilizing these platforms to not only meet new individuals, but to also learn about other opportunities that they may be aware of for networking events or internship opportunities is extremely vital in the world we live in today. There are many ways that people can get involved and connected, and the overwhelming influence of social media as well as the use of traditional networking can really help people in making a name for themselves and creating opportunities for themselves.