In college, the one question that no student wants to ponder is that of the future. The years that follow graduation are a looming stressor in many students’ lives, but they don’t have to be that way. TigerLink Gateway is a free resource for students that allows them to connect with alumni in order to plan for the future.

The TigerLink Gateway is a “campus-wide mentoring initiative and the entryway to career connections,” according to the Clemson Alumni website. The site serves as Clemson’s own social platform, akin to LinkedIn, where students are able to network with professional alumni in various industries.

All you need to do to join the platform is go to Tigerlink.clemson.edu and enter your Clemson login credentials. Much like other social platforms, TigerLink will ask you to create a profile where you upload a profile picture and biography. Don’t be intimidated by the profile creation process; the website is incredibly user-friendly and provides examples and prompts to assist in creating your account.

When creating your profile, the platform will ask a few questions in order to tailor your connections to your career interests. These questions range from industries you are interested in pursuing to career advice that you would like to receive. Once you have finished creating your profile, you will be taken to the homepage, where matches will be suggested based on your responses.

By matching with an alumnus profile, you are then able to introduce yourself and start your mentorship. These connections are filtered by industry, location and degree type, allowing students to easily find matches that align with their interests.

Don’t let the future control you, and instead take matters into your own hands through the TigerLink Gateway mentorship program. Just one connection could lead to a job opportunity or a new perspective on your career search, so take the jump and create a profile to start making connections today.