With it becoming more common for job seekers to take positions unrelated to their college majors, both students and graduates are taking advantage of on-the-job training, internships and their minor degrees in order to get ahead in the workplace. And many are finding following an alternative career path can be just as fun and rewarding with the right attitude and preparation.   DETOURIST After struggling to find a suitable job as a law graduate from China University of Political Science and Law in 2012, Yue Feng, 24, took a job as an online editor at a Beijing-based automotive website. “At first I thought of it as a temporary job while I continued searching for a career in law,” said Yue. Everything about the job was new to Yue. Selecting and packing information in order to attract a high click volume online is entirely *divergent from the training he received as a law student. Training programs with professionals from a variety of departments including marketing, photography, and IT opened his eyes to a business he hardly knew existed as a college student. “Day by day, I acquired new skills. I learned about readership, online content production, and even the automobile industry before gradually cultivating an interest in the work,” said Yue. With a can-do attitude, Yue sees himself as possessing a good understanding of how to package automotive news. With the fresh perspectives of a new graduate, Yue pitched the idea of a car-buying guide for college grads, and it proved to be a tremendous success. Now, after working for two years at the company, Yue has become a veteran online editor. “Actual work and what you learn in a textbook are completely different,” said Yue. “Once you commit to a job, with the right attitude and willingness to learn, many unexpected doors will open for you.”   HR’s comment: Apart from jobs requiring very specific professional skills like those in the fields of science, technology and medicine, most jobs on the market are all about attitude. New employees are expected to take the initiative, to input new ideas, and to continue learning so they might get ahead. I think the most important function of a college education is not learning facts, but learning how to adapt and continuously improve. HUANG RUOSHAN, SENIOR CAREER CONSULTANT AT ZHAOPIN.COM   INTERNIST Compared to his peers in Central China Normal University’s history department, Chen Changwei, 24, is an early bird — at least when it comes to job hunting. As a sophomore in 2012, this history major already realized that finding a job in his field wouldn’t be easy. After a failed attempt at changing his major to marketing a year earlier, Chen tried a new tactic — internships. Chen’s first internship at a local consulting company was hardly related to marketing. He acted as a secretary for about a month, meaning he made copies, delivered paperwork, helped move around boxes and arranged meetings. But according to Chen, the experience gave him a small taste of office culture. “I like the fast, efficient communication style marketing companies use,” he said. With a reference letter from his first job, he finally landed a real marketing internship during the summer of 2013. He observed as professionals pitched ideas, analyzed customer data, and developed marketing plans. At the end of his 90-day internship, Chen even pitched his own ideas, which received positive feedback. “I realized that in the workplace, no one cares about your major so long as you contribute to the team,” he said. One the verge of graduating, Chen is already a “*veteran intern”, who has managed to set up a network of contacts in Wuhan over the course of three years. Now Chen is working as a professional at one of the city’s major marketing agencies.   HR’s comment: I believe students who take jobs or complete internships prior to graduating put themselves at a tremendous advantage. By “internships”, I don’t just mean one — I mean five to 10 internships in different environments. By taking multiple internships, they learn things that cannot necessarily be taught, like handling office culture and how to communicate with colleagues and customers. Internships also help students decide what they really want to do. ROBERT PARKINSON, CEO & FOUNDER OF RMG SELECTION Read the article on 21 Century’s website: http://paper.i21st.cn/story/95390.html