Hi ArchiHacks fam, we know that summer is ending shortly, and from a recent poll on Instagram, a handful of you all are getting ready to head back to school! I know it can be an exciting time to go back to university and be around friends again, but let’s not forget that architecture school can be grueling without preparation. You may be soaking up the sun as much as you can, working hard at your job, and setting your eyes on the new semester – before you do that, here are 5 things you should add to your to-do list to get you in tip-top shape, so you can go into the semester without having to worry (as much).
Update Resume
This is the perfect time to update your resume with any work experience or skills you’ve picked up during the summer! You never know when you might need to pull up your resume. This usually happens around job fairs that occur through the semesters, and while balancing classes and studio, you might push your resume to the back burner. A good resume makes a huge difference, and it takes longer than one would expect. Critical factors help a resume stand out from an employers’ perspective, and it’s best to experiment with what works best for you! To help you with your resume, here are a few resources:
- Guide to Updating Your Resume by Indeed
- 10 Resume Writing Tips To Help You Land A Job by Indeed
- Tips for Creating A Great Resume by Business News Daily
- 18 Resume Writing Tips to Help You Stand Out by The Wall Street Journal
A second reason for updating your resume now is that you could consider picking up part-time jobs through school to supplement any type of spending you might have. I had a work-study my first year, and my peers held positions at different times through school to help alleviate the cost of supplies and food. All these positions still required a resume, so do yourself a favor now, and create or update your resume!
Update LinkedIn
Same idea as updating your resume, and you can even do both at the same time. It’s common to overlook LinkedIn as a professional resource for designers, but don’t underestimate the use of LinkedIn by firms scouting for talent. Your connections on LinkedIn can even vouch for your skillset or refer you to a position which is another bonus of this professional platform. However, like a resume, it takes time and attention to curate a high-quality profile that could attract attention. To help you with your LinkedIn profile, here are a few resources:
Clean Up Laptop and Drives
Time to do some laundry for your laptop and drives! Why? Overall, an optimized laptop and drive helps your laptop run smoothly. It’s also helpful to place old projects on external drives to free up space, and in case of emergencies, if your laptop gets the blue screen of death! Another useful tip to clean your laptop, instead of going into every nook and cranny of your hard drive, a quick but not in-depth cleaning is the “Disk Cleanup” and “Defragment and Optimize Drive” options in your laptop. You can find those two options if you type in your search window for PC and Mac users.
Studio Essentials
You can’t always predict what material you’d want to build models, but you can start with large bulks of cheap material that you find yourself using a lot! Of course, you can choose to make this purchase later with friends to spread the costs between peers, but there is a possibility of not arriving on time or last-minute changes that leave you empty-handed!
Take inventory of your tool kit. Do you need to replace some items or buy something you didn’t realize you needed last year? This is a perfect time to refresh old supplies like Exacto-knives, glue, trace paper, sketchbook, or all sorts of media that can make the budget go out the door! This can go as far as getting a new light or mouse, too, depending on your budget.
If you are a new design student entering school this upcoming semester and unsure what you should get, check out our previous article, The Design Student’s Toolkit.
Wardrobe Update
Of course, everyone enjoys having new clothes to wear or show off, but it’s best to prepare for any professional setting too! I can’t tell you how often I’ve been in situations where my clothes wouldn’t fit properly, or just not the best-looking outfits for job interviews or events, so learn from my mistakes! To keep your expenses low, take advantage of thrift stores around your university since students typically donate all sorts of things, and you’ll probably find something great and affordable. While not a necessity, having a few nice pieces of professional clothing can help you feel and look your best!
Did we miss anything important for a design student to check off before heading back to school? Let us know in the comments below! As always, I hope you found this article interesting and took something from it! Sharing is caring! We hope to provide you with valuable insights and share them with someone who might find this useful. Make sure to follow our Youtube and Instagram for more content!