Taking The Step Ahead – A Change From Campus to Corporate Life
“Life is one big transition”- Willie Stragell
As the saying goes, “change is the only thing constant in this world”. It is an ongoing process in a person’s life of stepping from home to school then to college and then finally to the corporate world. The last phase being the most important one as it will decide how you will earn your living and it will be your life for the years to come. The grey clouds of doubt must be in every student’s mind, which is in their final year of college. The excitement of earning a living and being independent on the other hand the nervousness of facing the complexities of the new corporate climate. All these thoughts cross every student’s mind and they are bound to be confused. But this transition can be smooth and a successful one, following some simple tips.
PRE-JOB STAGE
Prepare yourself for the change:
During the final years of your college life, start preparing yourself for entering into the professional world. Make a change in your daily schedule and make it more disciplined. Start Managing your work like a professional, abide by the deadlines of your projects and assignments. In the corporate world, you will be faced with long workdays and tight schedules. So try to incorporate it in your college life. Prioritize your work and have the attitude of a professional.
Choose a job which interests you:
While making a choice for your dream job, make the best selection. The best will not be the one which merely pays you good but it will be the one which interests you. Choose that job which adds to your over all development and to which you are ready to give your 100%. It should the one which doesn’t toil you out. It doesn’t matter if a job pays you a little less but if it is the one which you love doing, then go for it without any second thoughts.
POST-JOB STAGE
Get familiar with the work environment and your colleagues:
Don’t stress over if you don’t know what you have to do on your first day of the job. Don’t worry, no one expects you to be the master of your jack at the first day. So, on the first day it will be good if you understand your work profile, get familiar with the work environment, and interact with the co workers. All were the familiar faces in your college life. But now you will bump into the crowd of all unknown faces. Socialize with your new acquaintances, take the initiative and build up your informal profile.
Be ready to face the realities of the work life:
Be head strong to be tested any time in the corporate world. These tests will not be similar like the college ones. These will be the continuous tests which you will have to face at every step of your work life. Corporate world will have a whole lot of expectations from you. Meeting your deadlines won’t be the only thing to be prepared for. To make a stand you have to contribute to the organization in each and every way. You will have to continuously track the changes in the industry of your work profile and build up yourself as per the latest demands. This will help you to smoothly cross the path from campus to corporate world.
Be a Professional:
Focus is the key to success. Stick to your work, yearn to learn and stay focused. Don’t entangle yourself in the office politics. But that does not also means, that you detach yourself from the informal group present in the organization. Balance your work life. Don’t let the issues of your personal life, take over you. Stress can lead to a hindrance to your performance. In the corporate world you are accountable and responsible to the organization, so don’t let the reputation of the organization go down by your bad performance. Stay stable. No matter what is the situation.
Read: Campus Interview, Placement and College Projects.
These were some of the tips in helping you out to make a smooth transition from college to corporate world. Campus life and corporate life are different at the fundamental level. As a new entrant one will have to face a bunch of challenges. Don’t take a step back or fall down. Be eager to learn the new skills. Stay connected with the people in the organization. Combine your work and personal skills and the journey will be smooth.
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