Many students put off considering career “stuff” until they have time to think it over. Guess what? In just a few short days you’ll have an entire month of free thinking time.

How you choose to spend your winter break is up to you, but I’d like to offer a few (painless) suggestions for your consideration:

Read

Read some books that are purely for fun, by all means. It’s good to take a rest from heavy theoretical texts or anything you have to analyze.

Spend some of your time reading about careers you’ve been thinking about, too, and you’ll still be exercising your higher brain functions while also expanding your future possibilities.
Take a look at the books available for checkout in the CES Career Resource Library, or talk to an advisor about some suggested reading.

Research

All the career research tools available to you right now at pugetsound.edu/CESresources are just as accessible from wherever you’ll be over the break, 24 hours a day.

…Take an interest assessment using Career Cruising—in just 20 minutes you can be armed for the inevitable questions about your future over the holiday dinner table.
…Daydream about working in exotic locations—use MyWorldAbroad to begin your research!
…Get a jump on your spring job or internship search by checking out LoggerJobs and InternshipLink.

Re-connect

The holidays are all about spending time with family and friends, which provides the perfect opportunity to talk with people about career options.

Ask your Aunt Andrea how she got into her current field, or what she wanted to do when she was younger. If you have some ideas about what you want to do, let all your friends and family know—you might be surprised who has knowledge about your field or even some good connections. Set up a coffee or lunch meetings with alumni or family friends in the weeks after the holiday and get direct insight into what they do for work.

Reflect

The end of the year is a great time to mull over everything you’ve learned and experienced.

Whether you’re a list maker, a blogger, a journal writer, or a visualizer, take some time to gather your thoughts in a tangible way.

Taking any or all of the above steps can help you feel productive over the break and ready to tackle spring term. Enjoy your holiday!

© 2011 Career and Employment Services, University of Puget Sound
Photo: Sue Dahlin