Planning: What do Madonna, Mary Robinson and JFK have in common?

The most successful people in showbusiness, politics and business were, most likely, working on their meteoric ascent long before they finished college.

So you’ve got your college offer, and now you’re figuring out how to pay your way, make friends, negotiate a romantic life, and adjust to a college course after years at secondary school being spoon-fed everything you needed to know.

Is it too early to think long term? If you’re already thinking of making contacts, getting work experience, developing a career path and exploring further study, isn’t this just a little obsessive and highly strung?

Not quite, says Fergal Scully, an independent guidance counsellor and employer liaison officer with Dundalk IT.

“When I’m talking to college first years, I tell them that their CV-building starts now. I’m conscious that they are under pressure as it is, particularly economic pressure, and that they shouldn’t neglect the social side of the college experience either. But if someone coming out the other side of college approaches me in their final year and they have really gotten involved in something apart from their studies, they are much more employable.”

Scully says that students should find something that they really enjoy in college and get stuck in. “You learn transferable skills, such as organisation and communication, that can be used in any job and are valued by employers. Students could also learn these skills in voluntary work. I’m wary of advising students that they must get involved, but it is helpful.”

College graduates are, increasingly, entering a workforce where they are expected to undertake expensive postgraduate studies and are quite frequently required to work as unpaid or badly paid interns for up to a year to gain “experience”.

This development unfairly tends to work in favour of better-off students or those whose parents can afford to fund them for another year. For many, working for a year as an unpaid intern is just not an option. Is there any way to avoid it?

“Work experience on a CV is always great and employers do value this,” says Scully. “Some college courses include it as a component, but don’t worry too much if they don’t, because you can get it from a lot of different places.

“Getting involved in an election campaign or charity fundraising drive, or running a college society is as good as work experience, because while employers want to see what you can do and what your strengths are, they don’t care whether or not you got paid for it. Students should also consider documenting their college experience, using an online CV or a Tumblr blog, which shows employers what they can do and what they are interested in.”

Increasingly, colleges are moving away from very specialised degrees and encouraging students to pick courses that take a broader sweep. Should students be worried about developing a career path early?

Last year, a Gradireland survey found that about 40 per cent of companies were looking for graduates with a degree qualification and they were not particularly concerned what discipline it was in – they just wanted candidates to be up to a certain standard. Sometimes it’s not as important for students on general degrees, including arts, science, law and commerce, to have a clear idea of where they are going.

“People often go through their degree, even if it’s a relatively specialised course, and find that it’s not what really interests them,” Scully says. “They have lots of options, including master’s and conversion courses.”

He stresses that while students should have some focus on the future during their first year of college, they shouldn’t be overly worried. “If they use that focus to get more involved in college life and develop as a person, they will become more employable and they’ll have more fun.”