School is almost out and congratulations are in order! You’ve worked hard this semester to excel academically, keep our community healthy, and be resilient in the midst of recent challenges on campus. You are more than ready for break, and we’re here to cheer you on! In fact, we have some ideas for how you might spend your time unwinding over the next few weeks, along with some fun, easy, and low effort ways to check something off the list and keep up your career exploration momentum.
1. Nothing.
Rest is a fundamental part of success, health, and happiness. There are so many distractions — always something requiring your attention. Resting and unplugging is vital to your long-term health and a successful spring semester ahead. Don’t take our word for it; let this Forbes article explain why.
2. Have a Virtual Work Experience
Virtual work experiences are real life-work simulations that are a great way to set yourself apart, build your skills and your resume, and explore what it’s like to work in different industries. And guess what? Tufts has partnered with Forage to provide top-notch and free virtual work experiences to ALL Tufts students. If you’re interested in learning about consulting, education, HR, law, technology, engineering, marketing, healthcare, social impact, or finance, be sure to try out a virtual work experience this winter!
3. Do a Micro-Internship 
Tufts alumni are providing opportunities for undergraduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering, and School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts! These gigs and projects can be done remotely, and you can find them in The Herd under “Projects.” Get all the info you need about Jumbos4Jumbos here.
4. Do Career Research While Building your Connections 
Winter break is a great time to find alumni with whom you share professional interests and connect for conversations and advice. Learn how to use The Herd and LinkedIn to make the most of virtual networking.
5. Catch Up on Our Podcast
Have you heard our podcast? From Here To There features Career Fellows talking to Tufts alumni about their career journeys, how they made decisions, what they did when things didn’t go as planned, and lessons learned along the way.
6. Download the Handshake App
Handshake is a recruiting platform that connects students to employers who are looking to hire for jobs and internships. The Handshake app, available for download on both IOS and Android, makes the job hunt even easier, with hundreds of jobs, internships, and career events right at your fingertips.
If you haven’t already created an account on Handshake, now is a great time to do so. Make sure you complete your profile so you are more likely to be considered for opportunities. Did you know that 80% of students who add details to their Handshake profile receive direct messages from recruiters? Make sure to upload your resume as well, so employers can see what you’ve been up to.
7. Crack Open a Book
Now’s the time to finally take a break from your academic reads and get into a book (or two!) for fun. Here are a few that we’re reading over break:
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
- The Beadworkers Stories by Beth Piatote
- Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
- To Free the Captives by Tracy K. Smith
- Digital Minimilism by Cal Newport
- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
8. Gather Encouragement from Alumni
This interactive quiz has you guessing what Tufts alumni majored in and hearing their perspective on
9. Start New Personal Finance Habits
One of our favorite and most popular #BeyondTufts topics. Your future self will thank you for the effort you put in now. Here’s a guide for getting started.
10. Start Developing a Practice of Mindfulness
We all picked up a new habit or two during quarantine. For Career Fellow alumna Ismenia Ginebra ’22, it was mindfulness! “I’ve noticed the positive impact in my life that’s come from practicing mindfulness, largely in bettering my relationship with my thoughts.” Forbes even reported on how mindfulness can help you launch your career. “Personally, I use an app called Headspace, and there’s even a student discount!”
