The summer educational break is no excuse to put academic or career ambitions on vacation.
In fact, the traditionally slower months of summer are an ideal opportunity to assess academic and career goals, according to Joe Belliotti, president of Everest Institute-Dearborn in Michigan.
Belliotti offers the following tips to savvy students and young adults looking to take advantage of these summer months.
Get an internship: An internship is a great way to get an inside glimpse of an industry or a particular occupation, and can help you discover if the career you are considering is right (or wrong) for you. When it's time to enroll in or return to school, you can draw from your real-world experience for coursework and classroom discussions, which may help distinguish you from your peers.
Consider schools with flexible enrollment: Not every school has rigid enrollment dates, and some offer enrollment year-round. For example, some of the Everest courses are in modules, with new classes beginning nearly every month.
Polish your people skills: Summertime is a wonderful opportunity to brush up on "soft" skills like networking and interviewing, which aren't normally taught in the classroom. In fact, a poll by Everest Institute revealed that 40 percent of young adults believe interviewing is the one skill they need to improve most to help land a job.
Maximize your resources: Use this in-between time to learn as much as you can about your potential career field using all the resources around you - whether you use books, online research or face-to-face meetings with people in your desired field.