<p>I'm 20, and I just found out I could be graduating a semester early (May 2012). I live in Canada and I'm an Economics major. I wanted to have at least one additional year of work experience before graduating. Now, I am considering co-op because I don't think my resume is as amazing as I would want it to be, and I don't want to be jobless after graduating.</p>
<p>Possible jobs I would want after grad: jobs in the corporate world, mass media (e.g. print, tv, radio), residence life jobs, event planning jobs. Those are things I love to do. </p>
<p>Here's a brief summary of my work experience. Grades: B+ average student</p>
<p>3 years working as a resident assistant in residence halls
2 year journalism experience (staff writer at a community newspaper for 1 yr + school newspaper for 1 yr)
1 year sales + marketing experience (volunteered in the sales + marketing dept of the largest museum in the city)
1 yr event planning experience (volunteer work + EC experience)
1 yr customer service experience (summer jobs, etc)
6 months working in my university's Equity & Human Rights office</p>
<p>College Extra-curriculars:
International Student Organization President
Afro Caribbean Student Organization Coordinator (i.e. President)
Peer mentor
Student Ambassador
Served on numerous committees on campus
Organized numerous events on campus for students</p>
<p>Use your school connections and try to get a on university internship/ job.
Maybe that will help boost your resume and transition into the real world.</p>
<p>Okay so in this case, it is pretty important that you get some work experience under your belt. Someone with an MBA without real work experience is a little frightening to employers, since the degree commands a higher salary (more risk for employer) and since the employee would have had basically no way of proving himself in the full-time workforce (more risk for employer). </p>
<p>Generally, the better companies out there will actually pay for you to get a higher degree (or offer tuition reimbursement), after a certain vesting period. So it is very important that you work for at least a few years before applying to school; realistically, you should be able to complete a Master’s program while still working full time.</p>
<p>As for what you should do, definitely talk to career services. You seem to have a wide array of interests, which is great since you have a lot of options, but it is also challenging since you don’t really know where to focus your efforts. I can tell you, “jobs in the corporate world” is entirely too vague, and you need to at least narrow down to an industry before you start applying, or else you will be applying to far too many places. Mass media is something you really need to LOVE to get into; it is very difficult and requires you to be willing to move anywhere in the country at the drop of a hat. Event planning is a safer option, but the better jobs are reserved for people with hospitality degrees. You would get decent experience, but it is not very likely that your company would support your going to graduate school.</p>
<p>The best advice you can take is to talk to career services and focus your attention on fewer industries.</p>