Welcome to the 2020-21 school year, Loggers! No, this isn’t exactly what we expected, but life throws us curveballs and we adapt. Learning to adjust this year has certainly been a challenge, but we’ve all grown from it and can draw on the positives to continue moving forward.

Let’s talk about how you’ve grown during this pandemic:

1. Learning to work remotely. Reflect on your spring term and you’ll likely notice that you handled remote learning better than you expected. Whether you were completing high school or already in college, you completed papers, passed tests, and made it to this point. Way to go—that’s an accomplishment in and of itself! You set up some kind of home office, worked with your teachers and professors to understand their expectations, and figured out a way to communicate with classmates and friends.

It wasn’t easy, but you did it.

Pivoting to remote work was challenging for everyone, including working professionals. Your experience of remote learning will prepare you for a job market where more employers will be allowing or encouraging employees to work from home.

2. Adapting summer plans. Many people saw their plans change drastically, including canceled internships, closed businesses, or grounded flights. A fortunate few were able to maintain internships and jobs they had planned for summer 2020, but the vast majority of opportunities were remote instead of in-person.

This summer you did what you had to do. Whether you tracked down a job, enrolled in an extra class, learned a new skill, or took time to relax and refresh during a stressful time; you made it work.

This experience of adapting to deal with unexpected disappointment is an important life lesson! Every professional has a story about a period where they had to put their goals on hold due to circumstances beyond their control. And you’ll likely face obstacles when you enter the professional world, yourself. Talking to professionals about their struggles can help you to navigate your own. Which brings us to our third point…

3. Seeking help. Help comes in many forms and each can be useful! A conversation with a friend, a job lead from an ex-colleague, or a place to stay with a family member can go a long way during a challenging job market. Whether checking with a professor about an extension or inquiring with a previous summer employer about a short-term job to hold you over, asking for help is a vital step in making progress.

Keep talking to people in your network as you continue to navigate this pandemic. Connect with people you know on LinkedIn. Watch some of the ASK a Logger video interviews that CES hosted this summer with alumni in various career fields. Use Handshake to schedule a time to visit with a career advisor about your specific needs.

See? You’ve adapted and grown.

While remote learning and operations are not our preference, we’ll make the most of it! Your faculty have spent the summer preparing to offer you a Puget Sound-caliber education this year. CES has been preparing remote career fairs and other events that you’ll hear about soon. You’ll be able to engage with employers and alumni from regions beyond western Washington in ways that are only possible remotely. Continue to adapt this year and find ways to use this remote environment to your advantage.

To the heights!

Want to chat with a CES career advisor about how you can translate your experience onto your resume and into conversations with recruiters? Schedule an appointment at PugetSound.JoinHandshake.com!

Photo Credit | Ross Mulhausen
© 2020 Career and Employment Services, University of Puget Sound