The summer is here and you have just realised you don’t have much planned. Don’t worry, you are not in the minority! This is a short blog to show some of the things that you can do to not only make your summer productive, but also earn some money and make your CV look amazing before you are back in university, so here we go-
Sign up to a MOOC
Massive Online Open Course or MOOC as they are known, is a great way to utilise your summer if you have failed to get an internship this summer. Most of these courses are free and include a certificate at the end (you can add this qualification to your CV). There are thousands of MOOCs available ranging from corporate law to Japanese warfare, from some of the best universities like Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, etc. You can choose to deepen your knowledge of modules you are currently studying as part of your degree by doing masters level modules or you can do a course on something that has always fascinated you but never had the chance to learn more about like Introduction to Football Analytics, the choice is yours. The best thing about MOOCs is, all you need is a computer and an internet connection, you don’t even have to buy books or course materials!
You can find more about MOOCs on:
or if you have an Apple device- iTunes U.
Freelance
Freelancing over the summer is a great way to utilise the skills you have developed over the years and the knowledge you have gained in university. Many individuals and business look for freelancers everyday for odd jobs ranging from testing websites to social media management (yes, you can get paid to be on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!) They often pay per hour or per project and it is a great way to develop a portfolio if you are in the creative industry.
You can gain an insight into freelancing on:
Work in retail or hospitality
There are thousands of casual jobs available in the service sector during the summer. Get in touch with a local recruitment company and they will be able to help you find various retail and hospitality jobs. At this point you might be thinking how this is going to help your career? It certainly can, almost all jobs will help your career, and it all comes down to how you describe the role and what you have gained from the experience on your CV. What you need to highlight is the transferable skills you have developed from the role.
Attend events and network
The importance of networking is not emphasised enough by universities. With the amount of spare time you have, the summer holidays are probably the best time to invest in networking and start developing contacts in the industry you want to go into. It is also important to start making contacts at firms you wish to apply to as they can make recommendations and give you insights into things you may not otherwise get. Networking is not all done in person, create a LinkedIn account and start networking virtually to extend your network outside your geographical reach.
Don’t know where to start? Try
and events section on the firms you want to apply to.
Travel and learn a new language
We are not talking about travelling to Ibiza and raving for a week! Try finding casual work in a country where you always wanted to visit and whilst there, you can learn the local language. Why travel and learn a new language? Not only is travelling super fun, you will meet some amazing people and see what life outside your home country is like. Is that not enough of a reason? How about the fact that it will look amazing on your CV and it gives you something interesting to talk about in the interviews you will have in the future. Also, knowing additional languages will give you some serious brownie points and will open a whole set of doors that wouldn’t otherwise be open to you.
You can find out more about travelling and working abroad here-
There are various other platforms which you can find by doing a simple Google search, where you can find country specific roles.
Get a head start on next semester’s modules
Yes, we know, this is not the most fun way to spend your summer holidays! If you are aiming for a first or a high 2:1 but did not manage to get it for any reason, it is crucial that you start preparing for the next few semester well in advance because you will need to get high firsts to make up your average. Get in touch with your personal tutors to get more information about this. Also, contact the module leaders of the modules you are thinking about taking next year and ask them what you can do to get a head start.
If none of the above appeals to you, why don’t you let us give you a
call and we can tell you a bit more about our international internship programmes? It combines a lot of the above and the best thing, we will arrange everything for you.
Vinay
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