The Christmas holidays are just around the corner, and we think you’re looking forward to them as much as we are. It’s the perfect time to get together with your loved ones in a festive atmosphere. But besides enjoying all the festive food and sweets, you can also spend the holidays productively with an active vacation.
- Relax
After a whole semester of lectures, tutorials, and midterm exams, you should take time to relax. Relaxation helps to reduce stress, improves your mood, and contributes to your overall physical and mental health. Go for a walk, exercise, or do anything else that relaxes you.
- Learn a new skill
Whether you want to learn to cook, play an instrument or learn a new programming language, devote some of your time to learning a new skill, and who knows, it may become a new hobby or even a new career path. Employers may ask you during an interview what you do in your spare time, and you can impress them with your newly acquired skills.
- Read an article or listen to a podcast
Reading interesting articles or listening to podcasts in your area of interest can deepen your understanding of the subject and help you master basic or more complex concepts. Some career-related podcasts you can listen to are How To Get A Job: College Student Edition, Career Talk: Learn-Grow-Thrive, and The Engineering Career Coach Podcast.
- Encourage your creativity
One characteristic engineers often don’t realize they have is creativity. It shows up in everyday work when new ideas emerge or existing problems are solved. Encourage your creative side and design your device, try to find a creative solution to a problem in the project you’re working on, or start a new one.
- Start learning a foreign language
Foreign languages are always a plus in your career, as knowing a particular language might impress an employer who works with foreign clients. Also, learning foreign languages improves your cognitive abilities and memory. To get started, you can begin with language learning applications such as Duolingo during the holidays and later enroll in a foreign language course.
- Exercise your brain through entertainment
Take the time to get away from computers and mobile phones and engage in the ‘old-fashioned’ kind of entertainment. Search for crosswords and Sudoku, take out old puzzles and chess, or get together with friends and play board games. Your brain will surely be grateful for a break from looking at various screens.
- Make New Year’s resolutions
Make New Year’s resolutions not only for your personal development but also for your career. Write down any achievements from this year, such as completing a project or passing an exam, and think about what you want to achieve next year. If you decide to apply for a professional internship or student job next year, our doors are always open for career advice and CV reviews.
Iva, Lucija, Matija, and Nikolina from the Career Centre wish you happy holidays and a happy New Year! 😊
