Part 2 From College to Career

Read the passage below and match the numbered paragraphs with the appropriate headings.

Navigate Change: 3 Tips to Manage the Transition from College to Career

How do you navigate change from college to career? After all, school is vastly different from work.

The way people talk and their interests are vastly different. Even if you end up in the field you went to college to major in, there will still be a lot of things you need to manage.

There are a few things you can do to navigate this change.

1. Small Steps

Most fresh graduates want to conquer the world. And truth be told, it is really not a wrong attitude. While it is good to have a huge ambition, you need to moderate it. You need to know that your career path can easily be a 30 year journey or more. There will be lots of changes to navigate.

So, how do you navigate change from a ambitious fresh grad into a working world adult ready to take on the world? Well, in small steps. Take it a day at a time. The cumulation of your efforts is what will show results later. It’s not a game where you score the winning goal every day, in every game. This is a marathon where you put one foot in front of the other and soon you race to the finish line.

2. Small Dreams

Of course, there is no need to give up on your big dreams. But Big dreams are an accumulation of small dreams come through. Dream about getting that small project completed the best possible way. Dream about impressing your immediate boss before you fantasize about impressing the CEO.

It’s OK to have small dreams. Small dreams give you confidence. Small dreams give you the fertilizer to grow big dreams. That’s how you navigate change from college to career.

3. Big Belief

Small steps and small dreams must be balanced with big belief. Don’t start out your career with no belief. You must at least believe in yourself. Have a set of principles that will guide you. These are your light houses. They guide you home. They help you make decisions when changes in life make it difficult to see.

Believe that you can achieve big dreams with small steps. Believe that there are no short cuts and every experience adds to your piggy bank of life. And these are for your withdrawal later. They are currencies you can use to leapfrog others who do not know how to navigate change.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a cold cruel world out there. By and large, you will meet people who are willing to help and guide you. To navigate change, learn to be nice and polite. Stuff your parents and teachers taught you and you will be fine.

(http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com/navigate-change.html)

Ex 1. Answer the following questions:

1. Do you think it difficult for a person to experience the transition from college to career? Why?

2. What does the author of the article imply in the phrase “navigate change”?

3. Do you agree that the 3 things mentioned in the article are necessary for this change?

4. What could you add to the author’s advice?

5. Ask your parents or older relatives to share their impressions about their transition from college to career. Tell about them in class.

Ex 2. Before you read the text in Ex 3, answer the questions and explain your answer.