Posted December 13th, 2017
By Kris Powers
Many of us are getting ready for the holiday and a nice long winter break. The holidays are a wonderful time to catch up with friends and family (as well as catch up on some much-needed rest!). However, after the first few days of relaxation and overeating, you might find yourself a bit bored and looking for something to do. Instead of sitting around and letting the weeks go by, here are some tips to make your winter break more productive:
1. Touch base with the “influencers” in your life. Are there colleagues who have gone out of their way to show you the ropes? Instructors or classmates who are always there to lend advice? Take time this winter to connect with a hand-written note or through social media. You never know when these contacts might come in handy. Make sure to keep the relationship reciprocal. Pass on information that you think they might find useful and keep the dialogue open. Many wonderful opportunities come from personal and professional contacts and networking.
2. Refresh your resume. If you’ve completed a Professional Development or Career course; make sure to include that information and relevant skill set on your resume. If you’ve volunteered or attended webinars or training sessions, include those as well.
3. Apply for scholarships. Explore possible scholarship offerings using search engines such as Fastweb, College Board or Scholarships.com. Visit your school’s website to explore other scholarship or grant listings posted that you may qualify for.
4. Fine-tune your spring semester schedule. You may have already enrolled in your courses for the spring semester, but now is a wonderful time to make sure that the schedule you selected works best for you and your current work/life commitments. Visit Rate My Professors to get a feel for the professors on your schedule. You may have the option of selecting a professor that appears to be a better fit your learning style.
5. Volunteer. While the need for volunteers is year-round; the holidays often offer a break in our busy day-to-day schedules and free up time to help organizations in need. In addition to doing good; you’ll have an opportunity to meet others and add another line to your resume.
6. Purchase a new calendar, datebook, or update the calendar app of your choosing. Mark down all the important dates you know of for next semester. First day of session, mid-term dates, final exam dates, days where campus is closed. If you already have your syllabi for next semester’s courses; write down all important due dates. Also make note of tuition deadlines, financial aid decision dates and anything else you don’t want to forget!
7. Learn a new skill. There are plenty of opportunities for skill building. Consider taking one of Ed4Career’s four-week, instructor-led online courses on a topic of interest. Or seek out and attend workshops in your area.
8. Take an alternative credit course. The winter break can be a perfect time to catch up or get ahead in school. If you take alternative credit classes over holiday breaks, you can help save yourself money and finish your degree faster. These credits are cheaper than usual college credits and generally transfer easily to a college or university. Check out Ed4Credit and discover why you should consider alternative credit courses this holiday season!
9. Explore and join professional organizations. Explore different professional organizations in your field of interest. Making these connections might give you inside access to job openings, networking events, articles of interest to those in your industry, etc.
10. Read a book for pleasure. Visit your local bookstore or library and browse. Pick whatever peaks your interest, take it home, curl up in a comfortable spot and get lost in the story.
11. Find a short-term internship or ask to shadow a professional in the field you are interested in. Shadowing will allow you to discover what a typical day in that field entails, what’s required of employees, and what skills or knowledge you need to gain to improve your chances of becoming successful in this field. This will also give you invaluable experience and yet another item to add to your resume!
12. Organize in preparation for the New Year. Take some time and organize your school work. Clean out emails from your account and organize notes so that you are better prepared for the work still to come.
Use this holiday break as a time to nurture yourself, while also continuing to nurture your future. These next few weeks will be whatever you make of them. So, make them joyful and productive! Our educational consultants are just a click away and will be happy to help you decide on a course or certification program that might meet your needs. Contact us today!
