Journal prompts when transitioning from student to professional

The transition from student to professional is a leap, no matter the stage of life. Whether fresh from college or if you returned to school as a working professional, school was a time of learning, growing, structure, and expectations. Launching into the working world and positioning yourself as a professional requires a different mindset. How you see yourself will influence how others see you and not just in person but how you write your resume, LinkedIn profile, and introductory emails.

Take some time to think about your journey as a student and how you want to see yourself as a professional. I know you may not feel like a professional during the job search, especially when every job description requires x number of years’ experience. Take a few breaths and give yourself about 10 minutes to write judgement-free. I think you’ll be surprised what insights are within you!

Journal prompts

1. What advice would you give yourself when you started school? How did you change? What did you learn about yourself?

2. If you participated in internships, work studies, or volunteering, what three things did you get out of it? How were they different than what you expected?

3. If you knew you could not fail, where would you like to be in 5 or 10 years? (Pick the time span that inspires you the most.) Be open to possibilities and write without judgement.

4. Making a transition means you’ll have to leave some things behind, both material and emotional. What are your most significant losses as your move from student to professional? You also gained during this process. What will you take with you?

5. This is a real woo-woo question – go for it! How much space is worry taking up? During your work search, try to notice if you stop yourself from doing things, apply for jobs, going to virtual job fairs, setting up resume appointments, etc. How often does this happen? Ask yourself – what’s the worse that could happen? What’s the possibility of the worst happening? Why am I cancelling out the opportunity before it’s even a possibility?

This could be a good exercise at any point during the long, difficult, lonely job search journey. Please remember that you’re not alone and that you can do this. Finding the job that aligns with your values is worth it and you all you need is one yes!