I am not big on regrets. Life is tough and it moves pretty quickly so I make the best decisions I can as I go and try not to dwell on the past. This is mainly because there is not much you can do to change mistakes that were made; you just learn from them and move on.

Of course, like everyone else, there are a handful of decisions or choices that I made that I wish I could hit the reset button on.

REGRETS

I regret not quitting my paying gig in my final year of university and taking an internship instead in my field of interest. And I regret jumping the gun after graduation and taking the first opportunity that came my way.

A career path is a difficult thing to envision. Many people don’t even know what they want to do exactly, but if you are spending the time and money on getting a quality education, your career path should start to take shape in your final year of studies. But don’t take my word for it…

TALENTED EGGSPERT

…I asked Lauren Friese, founder of TALENTEGG (a career site for students and new grads), to weigh in on this topic. Here is what she had to say:

When you graduate from university or college, too many students make the choice either to go back to school, or just take any random job because they’re not able to secure the career-launching role they really want/need. Many students don’t consider taking unpaid internships because they can’t afford it.

This is a false perception on the part of students. When a student sinks time and money in grad school, it’s considered an investment. Unpaid internships deserve the same consideration. An internship is an investment in your human capital. And instead of coming out the other end with theory and formal education, you come out with real life work experiences and achievements, a  career-specific network, and the opportunity to ‘try (your career choice) before you buy’.

MY TAKE

Within a few years of graduation, responsibility handcuffs you and can really limit your options of how to move around in order to achieve your career objectives. That’s why it is so important to take the time in your final year of studies to sit down and map out the career path that you want to take, because life may not present you with another opportunity to do it.