In the ideal world you are reading this on your lunch break at your amazing, career-related internship where you are spending the majority of your summer. If that is not you, don’t despair, we have some great ideas to make it amazing too. (This applies even if you are working by the way!).
- Learn a new skill. Ok so maybe you couldn’t fit in an internship where you would learn and practice new skills. Even so, you are lucky to live in an age where you can find almost anything online and in New York City. Did you know that the NYC Google office offers FREE workshops in a variety of topics during summer? So whether you want to learn about data analytics, how to create a compelling presentation – or more – Google has something for you. Learn more and register here. You can also set up a free trial account in LinkedIn Learning where you can access many courses ranging from Excel to communication skills and everything in between. Master these skills before classes begin!
2. Volunteer. As I discussed in my last blog on transferable skills, you don’t only learn skills in a paid job. Volunteering is a great way to find people with similar interests, get involved in causes that you believe in and learn new skills. Also, volunteering assignments can be quite flexible so even if you have a few hours a week, you could do it. We recommend searching for volunteer opportunities on Mercy’s career platform, Handshake and on Idealist.
3. Read about any topic that you are interested in but you can never find the time between classes, projects and exams. This is the time! We recommend visiting your public library branch and this way you are also saving money – and trees! If you don’t know where to start, here’s a great list of books to get you started. (My personal favorite would be “Why Not Me” by Mindy Kaling).
4. Learn or practice a fun hobby: You get the theme – this is your time! Make it count. You’ll also have more interesting things to talk about when you come back to campus. Whether you want to go kayaking (free kayaking in many places in NYC), sign up for a race, learn how to cook or whatever else you might love to do, do it now. If you need some fun ideas check out Time Out summer edition.
Enjoy your break and we look forward to seeing you in September! If you need us before then, we are always here to help you too. You can reach out to us at cpd@mercy.edu
