What To Do During The Holidays?

We all love holidays! The anticipation of the holiday break would send tingles of joyful anticipation down our spine. It could be a semester break or transition to the next level of education.

Everyone will be given the same period of time; the question is whether you make use of it as a stepping stone for your career.

Few years down the road, the precious time of youth can never be brought back. To treasure your time, the following activities are highly recommended.

1. Internship

Internship programmes are professional career hands-on training programmes which offer work experience which you just can’t get in the classroom.

Throughout your internship, you can decide if it is the right career for you. In Malaysia, a typical internship lasts from six to 12 weeks. Therefore, you can “test out” your future career without committing too much time.

Although these positions may be paid or unpaid, the benefits of doing an internship go far beyond your pay cheque.

Internships allow you to build networking opportunities. You get to meet people who might help you land a job and give you the contacts in the industry you’re trying to break into. As the saying goes, knowing people never hurts.

An internship can help build your confidence, while building your resume. During job interviews, when an interviewer asks if you have the experience of doing something, your work experience, if relevant, would allow you to answer with confidence.

Statistics show that there is a high chance for interns to find permanent, paid employment with the organisations they interned with.

2. Volunteer yourself

Volunteering has a meaningful, positive impact on your community. Apart from developing new skills, did you know volunteering also boosts your career?

A survey carried out by TimeBank of 200 leading businesses in the UK shows:

73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without
94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills.

By volunteering, you’re certainly giving back to society the benefits it gave you. As certain groups of communities suffer due to social injustice, what better way can you bridge the expanding gap if not through volunteering?

Although no one can solve all of the world’s problems, making your little corner of the world a little better would have a big impact towards society.

And, you know what, volunteering brings together people from all walks of life. Everyone you get to meet from different backgrounds would be a rich source of inspiration in your life.

After meeting new people and gaining new knowledge, this could change your perception of life as well as leave a lasting impact on you.

3. Family ties

Family is where life begins and love never ends. There is no investment wiser than spending quality time with your family.

I see my family as a gift, which lasts forever. As family stands for “Father And Mother I Love You”, holidays are definitely a good time to strengthen our bonds and renew relationships.

No matter how life changes, those who would love us unconditionally are our parents. As Jim Butcher puts it: “When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching – they are your family.”

Not knowing when our loved ones would depart from us, the time to build a close-knit family should be treasured most.