Most college students can relate to this scenario: In one class, there’s a ten-page research paper, and in another, there’s a group film project. You’re behind on some of your readings, you have a group presentation due at the end of the week, and you have three cumulative finals rapidly approaching on the horizon. And just to top it all off, you get asked the dreaded question “So what are you doing after college?”

Sometimes, it’s hard enough trying to figure out what to eat for dinner, let alone what to do about your future. Life feels so busy at times and your days are so full of commitments that, by the time you have time to do something else, researching for your future career is the last thing on your mind. But as much as we wish to ignore it, time is only ever moving forward.

College has the reputation for being “the best four years of your life” and they certainly can be if you take advantage of them, but it does not excuse one from spending some of that time doing the harder things, like building your resume, applying for internships, or networking. It’s so much easier to say “I’ll do it later,” but later comes faster than you realize. Before you know it, you will be throwing your graduation cap into the air and hugging your friends and family in celebration of your incredible achievement, but if you do not plan ahead, reality is going to be a cold wake up call.

So how do you plan ahead? How do you deal with the mountain of assignments and club meetings and service hours and social life, while still building a solid plan for when it’s all over?

The first step is to be realistic. It is not reasonable to expect a student who is drowning in work to care about something two or three years down the road. Instead, find a moment of downtime, whether it’s a quiet evening after dinner or a long weekend or even during a class that was cancelled last minute. You don’t have to spend hours at a time planning just to make a little progress. Even a quick search can help you get ideas for what you want to do.

The second step is to experiment. College contains a whole universe of opportunities just waiting for you to take advantage of them. You can try things you’ve never even thought of before, or you can dive deeper into something you already love. Once you start learning more about things you like or don’t like to do, you can get a better idea of what you might want to make into a career. 

The third step is to take the chance. Find an internship that you qualify for but aren’t quite sure if it’s the best fit? Still apply! There is no such thing as a wasted opportunity. Even if it doesn’t work out, it can still teach you valuable skills and experiences that may be useful for you later. Internships can also help you take set hours of your day to focus on something besides school while also helping you learn new things. The extra money doesn’t hurt either!

There is no one right way or wrong way to approach your career, and everyone’s paths are different. Some people walk into college knowing exactly what they want and how to get it and they live every day with that purpose, and others throw whatever plans they had out the door within the first semester. Your experience is uniquely yours, but you have to work for it. Live your college life to the fullest, but do whatever you can to make sure life after college is lived to the fullest, too.