Many of my friends have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on education and a few years of their lives, and now they resent not being able to do anything while studying. Here is a list of suggestions that will help avoid such complaints.

1. Write to the people you want to get to know

This may be a university graduate who has had great success or a writer whose books have changed how you look at the world. Find out their email address and try to strike up a conversation.

Most of us do not feel comfortable writing to strangers and are afraid of getting rejected. But people are always happy to help students with their requests, so make the most of it. If you have something in common with the recipient, such as going to the same school or volunteering for the same organization, write about it. It helped me a lot. Before the end of my studies, I had two job offers: a marketing manager at Google and a position at a venture capital fund. Two job offers were surprising, and I didn’t know what to do.

I did not quite understand what each work entailed, but I knew that I wanted to start my company a few years after graduation. So I wrote to one well-known venture capitalist and told him about my problem. He responded and told me to go to Google to get the necessary experience. Everything would have been different if I had not followed this advice.

Understand that your student life doesn’t mean just completing assignments. It’s also a perfect time to build your network. If you need to free some time from your tasks – use services like essayassistant.org that can save you some time you’d rather spend on getting to know people.

2. Find friends on whom you can rely

My success depended a lot on the people I met at University. If I hadn’t made friends with them then, my life would be different today.

Make friends for whom you are willing to be friends. They will become your support group, personal directors, and a team of superheroes throughout life.

Do not postpone the search for such friends. Thousands of intelligent people are waiting for you in the University, so this is an ideal time.

3. Enrol in a course where you can gain practical skills

Although I liked my core subjects (politics, Japanese, and mathematics), the additional course in graphic design was outstanding. Probably in everyday life, it helped me more than all other subjects taken together. For my colleague, the negotiation course was so important. Now he is the one who holds meetings with our investors.

Find something similar for yourself. Even if your first job is ideally suited to the chosen specialty, you are bound to acquire other skills. Choose the variants that can be used in different spheres, which will change your view of the business.

4. Launch your project

For example, a business, a hobby club, a publication, a social campaign, a movie series, or anything else you like. By creating a plan, making it real, and keeping the project afloat, you will gain invaluable experience. It prepares you for your future work, no matter what field you choose. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur when I was at University.

Students have an advantage here, too. Sponsors are more willing to help if they find out that you are still a student working on a university project. Moreover, the University has teachers who can give you suggestions, mates ready to participate, grants and prizes, classes, and equipment. Take advantage of these resources while you can.

5. Find your Professor

Someone engaged in research in the field of learning fascinates you greatly. Or the one who has a unique way of looking at the world.

For example, I wanted to study with one professor: he is a real expert in the business. But it turned out that first-year students couldn’t sign up for his lectures. I came again and again until I was not allowed to participate. Later, he helped me create a business plan, and we kept in touch. I can say that this professor, and not just his subject changed my life.

6. Go with the times

There will be little time for this in your adult life, especially at the beginning of your career. No more summer vacation unless you will work in the educational field. So get some rest and try new things, as long as it’s easy.

Look for summer internships abroad, take a long trip, enrol in courses at another university. Understand the limits of your comfort zone and learn to get out of it. Try to find yourself in a completely unfamiliar environment. Then you will not be able to do such things without work.

7. Get as much practical experience as possible

This does not mean that you have to have an apprenticeship or practice at the same place. Try as much as possible so that your experience is varied. So you understand what you want to do, what you like and what you don’t, what works and what does not.

Plus, students can change one job after another without being considered unreliable.