By Cody Soto
Sports Writer

Baylor was recently ranked number 71 among more than 250 schools in the U.S., and that can be a great indicator of what our university can provide for its students. Every student needs to take advantage of all the opportunities while they can in order to give them a jump start on other graduates in their desired job fields.

First, students need to start early and search for internships and work study programs that are in the field of study they are pursuing. Academic departments do a great job of keeping up with current trends, and they are often opening up opportunities for students to get experience while still in school.

Whether it’s a work study job or an internship during the summer, it is vital for students to make use of this opportunity so they can put what they’ve learned to use early on in their careers. It will give the student a good taste of their field if they are immersed in it before they even leave campus.

Second, Baylor has many outlets for career preparedness and success right on campus. The Paul L. Foster Success Center is a great place to visit which holds the Office of Career and Professional Development. The department focuses on helping students focus on their professional goals and help search for jobs. There are also many career fairs throughout the year that can help broadcast a student to several different employers in one location. It’s worth a shot.

Students should also focus on writing and developing their resume. It’s never too early to have someone look over a student’s work because often times they will help bring out certain aspects of a resume. A resume is everything in the real world; it’s one piece of paper that represents the student to an employer.

Finally, students need to make connections with faculty members and people who could possibly be used as a reference on their resume. Each Baylor faculty member was hired for a reason and many of them have years of experience in the field that they are teaching, so why not use that to help advance yourself? Professors will often open up doors for students if they see the eagerness to better themselves.

Baylor has so many opportunities to get ahead, and students need to use their resources and graduate with something else beyond their degree. Experience and preparedness can go a long way in the real world.

Cody Soto is a sophomore journalism major from Poth. He is a sports writer for the Lariat.