Leiden University Career Zone
Study Career
At the beginning of your studies, you are usually not so busy with your career. Nevertheless, it is good to realise that your (study) career starts from the first day of your bachelor's degree.
During your studies (whether you are in your bachelor's or master's) it is good to be aware of the choices you make, the skills you develop/want to develop and the experience you gain/want to gain, in order to increase your employability and prepare for your career after university.
Study Career Planning
If you are aware from the start of your studies of the choices you make within and outside your curriculum, and not at the very last moment, you will have more opportunity and time to gain experience, to develop more specific (career) skills, to experiment and to adjust plans if necessary.
This will allow you to make more informed decisions with more self-confidence.
As a result, you will be actively and consciously engaged in your study career planning. This does not mean that you always need to know in advance exactly why you are making a certain choice. Sometimes just trying something out is very valuable in order to find out whether you like to participate (more), whether it suits you or what you have learned from it.
CV building
It's about choices you make within your curriculum (electives/minor, internship, study abroad, honours programme), but also outside of it.
By doing extra-curricular activities, such as managerial activities, (relevant) side-jobs and volunteer work or a stay abroad, you can also gain skills and experiences with which you can further develop yourself and in this way build up your CV. In order to increase your job opportunities, it is certainly advisable not only to focus on studying, but also to develop yourself more broadly. For yourself, but also to differentiate yourself from others when looking for a job.
Take a look at what opportunities are known to us per academic year that you can develop during your study career via the (Study) Career Route planner.
CV stress
By the way, it doesn't mean that you have to do all of these activities to build up a good CV. That is not feasible and causes unnecessary stress.
Divide the activities over your years of study and choose those activities that you enjoy doing and that will contribute to your career. Do not build up your resume just for the sake of it or because other students are doing the same. Focus on yourself, see what is feasible for you and work out your own plan!