Beginning a professional career begins exactly where you stand right now! Entering college, especially here at UW-Madison, provides you with the unique opportunity to build your network, advance your skills, and grow to become an expert in your craft. However, the greatest advice I can offer is to find a way to balance your desire to become an emerging professional and to also enjoy and immerse yourself in the journey to get there.
It can feel like there is a lot of pressure to get started right away on joining the appropriate clubs, looking for that first perfect internship, or even discussing the realities of your future with someone who already has experience within that field. However, a little planning each semester can serve you well and help you to shake the stress. That first semester is all about exploring your options and finding out whether pre-med is really for you. The spoiler is, it probably isn’t!
Outside of class time, try a variety of clubs and activities that will immerse you in your future career, but also fun clubs that provide you a break from the daunting responsibility of a full academic schedule. Each semester, try something different, keep what’s working for you, and don’t feel guilty for dropping the things that don’t. And that includes your major. If it isn’t working for you, then something else will! Talk to a variety of professionals, classmates, and professors; everyone around here is always willing to help out a fellow Badger. And don’t forget to have fun, the perfect career isn’t built in a day!
