OPT Planning Before Graduation
Most students start OPT planning too late. Planning before graduation is less about paperwork and more about clarity: picking role families that map cleanly to your field of study and building a track record that makes your story simple.
1) Pick 2–3 role families tied to your studies
Don’t chase random titles. Choose role families you can explain clearly. Examples: analytics/reporting, structured operations, performance/video analysis, marketing strategy + analytics, training support (when aligned).
2) Build “proof of alignment” through projects
Proof can be simple: a capstone project, an analytics report, a training-plan analysis, an operations checklist, or a marketing study with clear metrics. The key is that you can point to outputs that map to your coursework.
- • Keep 2–3 artifacts you can show (PDF, dashboard, write-up)
- • Track tools you used (analytics platforms, video tagging, etc.)
- • Write resume bullets: method → output → impact
3) Avoid “drift roles” early
Vague “assistant” roles often drift into general tasks. That’s why planning early is powerful: you can focus on roles with structure, outputs, and real supervision.
4) Create a reusable “duties map” template
Use the same template for any role you consider:
- • Role goal (one sentence)
- • Weekly tasks (5–8 bullets)
- • Outputs (3–5 artifacts: reports, plans, dashboards)
- • Coursework tie (keywords/topics from your program)
- • Supervisor and review cadence
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