My graduation is looming and my degree will soon be over. Like me you’ve worked hard, played hard. What to do next when university life is coming to an end? What to do with your Graduate Life? A job, some world travel, more education? You are at the junction where more decisions need to be made. How are you going to live your life?
Now my university days are soon to be over I need to focus and decide on my new career path. It’s feels like a strange and scary time to be finally ending education. It’s all I’ve done since joining nursery at age 4. Up to this point life seemed certain year in, year out. Yet now I have to enter the world of work, make grow up decisions, pay back a stack of student debt and drug lords.
Struggling is not exactly a career path so it’s time to look to the future. For those out there that have a career plan or a job lined up that’s wonderful. For some of us we are at a crossroads of choice, not sure what we’re supposed to be doing with ourselves after university.
My Plan A is to start my career. I don’t include my bar work summer jobs as career advancement. I had a job interview today. I think it went very well. I communicated confidential however in hindsight do I really want to be trapped in a job just for the money. If I get the job my responsibility will be rewarded with income. But is that success?
I wouldn’t exactly describe myself as a radical thinker or as an academic despite doing my A-Levels and finishing university. To be honest I only went this route because of pressure from my parents and the fact at 18 I wasn’t ready for the world of work. I had no idea what I wanted to do and going to university seemed like a good idea to kill some time and make my parents happy.
Besides they had done it, my older brother and sister had done it so it was kind of expected that I should too. A shy guy pushed and pressured along by parents and peers. Going with the flow with no clear path I signed up to a degree.
University is supposed to prepare you for your future. In the process I’ve racked up student loans, tuition fees and debts just to get an education. So here I am and I’m not sure what to do with the leftovers.
If you’ve not got a plan together the future is uncertain and worry sets in. I realise thousands of graduates are in this situation, in the same boat with no sails.
Meanwhile to rub it in some of your uni friends are out of the blocks and starting a career in their chosen field while you’re still work pulling pints. To add more pressure family members ask you “What are you going to do now?”.
Don’t despair your life isn’t over. I still haven’t got a clue what to do next. I should know the outcome of the interview by tomorrow afternoon. If I don’t land the job than its Plan B which I don’t have a plan for right now but it’s not the end of the world.
Keep calm and slow down we’re still young. Give yourself time to decide and don’t do anything just because other people seem to be going somewhere fast. It’s not a race.
You’ve gone the distance, you have a degree it won’t be wasted. Think of all the experience your student life has given you. It’s a big world out there. Go travelling have some downtime, taste life, go discover yourself you may also have a flash of inspiration on your future career goals.
As for me maybe I can’t face having to grow up and filling the void of education with a 9 to 5 job. Things don’t stay the same? Nothing remains constant, does it?
