Workin' nine to five, what a way to make a livin', barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'....want to move ahead but the boss won't seem to let you?
It's probably because you didn't do any work experience at uni, silly!
Now that I have got my requisite Dolly Parton mention out of the way, we can get down to the real stuff. Work experience...and what an experience it is!
I began my work experience 'career' at a major Sydney newspaper. I imagined I would flounce in wearing my killer heels and shoulder pads, quickly steal the attention of a slightly-senior cadet (who could guide me through the ranks), enjoy lunch at high-priced inner-city restaurants with power figures and be snapped for the Social Pages each week.
Ah...when will I quit my daydreaming?
I'm sure I don't need to hasten to add that my work experience adventure turned out a little differently. Instead of being asked to interview political masterminds (oxymoron?) I was asked to ring strangers (using the trusty White Pages) and ask them what they thought about issues of the day. Mmm, hard-hitting stuff. Woodward and Bernstein, eat your heart out.
Lesson number one: be prepared to do the most boring, seemingly useless job. Do it with a smile, and do it well.
After a week, I decided that my future was in my own hands, and if I wanted to move on up, I had to ask. Eager to work on the sports desk (I think we have covered my brief sojourn into the world of rough-and-tumble, have we not?) I asked my supervisor if I could pack my proverbial bags and move two metres left (incidentally, where the sports desk happened to be!)
She said no.
So...my plan wasn't without its faults.
Lesson number two: be prepared to wait. It might seem like you've spent your entire adult life trying to work out how many people prefer Gloria Jean's Caramel Lattes to Starbuck's Mocha Caramachiattos, but by God, it will be worth it. (I opened the pages of this newspaper not so long ago...and a girl who I did work experience with now has her own gossip column..eek! Now I know the answer to that age-old question, 'should I stay or should I go?')
Why do you need work experience? Doing a degree is fantastic, but let's face it, a lot of people have them. You need to stand out from the crowd to land that dream job, and work experience is a great way to do that. Luckily, the kind folks here at Sydney Uni are here to help!
If you're looking for work experience, the best place to start is the Careers Centre. Their website is http://www.careers.usyd.edu.au/. They can help you find degree-related casual employment and work experience. They can even give you one-on-one career advice...now that's service!
Yep, there are horror stories about work experience. Sure, they ask you to do the worst jobs. Yes, some of the staff (who clearly don't remember what it's like to be the work experience kid) can treat you like crap. And it might seem like you're working towards nothing (a friend of mine did work experience at a teen magazine, and once amused herself by counting the number of times a staffer would call out, "Hey...what's another word for 'cool'?")
But there are obviously other, better work experience stories that never see the light of day. A mate of mine just got a clerkship at a law firm and not only nabbed her own office but gym membership, too! There are perks...but you have to be ready to work to the grindstone to get 'em...
For those who were brave and read this whole blog, I did eventually get on the Sports Desk. And it confirmed my suspicions that I didn't want to be a sports journalist. Which is the other great thing about work experience: it lets you in on the dirty secrets of the job you've lusted after for years!