Have you ever bought an expensive outfit without first trying it on? Certainly not. And yet the standard in career selection is to pour thousands of dollars into training and schooling for an anticipated career without first trying it on for size to make sure it is a good fit. Seems rather silly, yet this is the process that millions of students stumble through, year after year.

Your best opportunity for truly understanding a particular job or industry is to try it on for a day, a week, a month, or a year. How? By temping in the field. Working through a temporary help agency will give you the opportunity to develop real world work experience while trying on your chosen field for size.

There are plenty of opportunities to work through temp agencies. The key is to be specific about your preference for positions within your chosen field. Be specific, yet not picky. Working at the desk next to your target position is often just as profitable as sitting behind that desk. Temping often works best over summer break, but can also be used during fall, winter, and spring break. And if you are extremely productive, you may be given the opportunity to continue part-time while classes are in session.

This is a classic win-win situation. You have the opportunity to view your chosen field from the inside. The employer has low-cost, temporary labor to fill in the gaps. And in the best of all worlds, you might actually find your future employer in the process.

You are welcome to browse this material as a visitor of our site, but please do not violate the copyright by making copies of this material, either electronic, paper or any other type, with the exception of one paper copy of each page permitted for your own personal use and reference.