Experience key in career

Have you ever wondered if a degree by itself will be enough to get a good paying job?

Graduation is just around the corner. What is going to happen once you graduate?

Well, if you don’t have experience in your field, then you’re going to have a tough time finding the job you want.

In today’s society, having a degree simply will not be enough.

This is one of the reasons why the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication decided months ago to have new requirements for graduation. I now agree 100 percent with the school’s decision. Most employers are now requiring that you have experience as well as a degree. I have even seen some jobs online where experience will sometimes outweigh a degree.

Usually, a bachelor’s degree will not even do. Outside experiences are needed just as much as classroom lectures.

Without internships, what will you be able to put on your résumé that will let potential employers know you’re more qualified than anyone else?

I was always taught in my public relations courses that you have to sell yourself. You have to make those future employers want you. You need to be so good that after your interview, he or she will be begging you to come work for their company.

How much experience you have can also determine how high your starting salary could be. How can this happen, you ask? Volunteering, internships and jobs that are in your field can help.

For any major, textbooks can only teach so much. If you want that dream job after graduation, you have to go the extra mile now.

I’m not saying that you will never find a good job with just a degree and no experience; it will just be a lot more difficult.

Because there will be thousands of students graduating with the same degree, it is a good idea that to be 10 times more prepared than each one of those students.

After talking with recent graduates and my professors, I always heard the same thing: get experience.

It took me a few years to realize this, but lucky for me, I am now getting as much experience as I can.

I used to think that I would be OK with just my degree and no experience. I was only thinking about getting an entry-level position.

Entry-level positions are also good ways of getting experience, not to mention you will be getting paid for it.

Get as much experience as you can. There is no such thing as having too many internships or too much experience.

The more experience you have, the better chance you have at getting the job you have been dreaming of. Never settle for anything less than the job you want. If you want to make $150,000 a year, do whatever it takes to reach that goal.

Leonard G. Wright is a senior public relations student from Jackson, Miss. He can be reached at famuanopinions@hotmail.com.