First and foremost, congratulations! After a lifelong buildup of anticipation, you’ve finally made it across the finish line. You shake the hands of your proud professors, take pictures with your fellow graduates and walk away with a shiny new diploma. But once all of the excitement (and confetti) settles, you’re left to face the question that you’ve been avoiding for the past four years: What are your plans after college? And, of course, you’ve memorized the manicured response that you robotically spit out for all of your distant relatives, but more importantly, it’s time to answer that question for yourself! What is next? Maybe you’re not so sure. Good news: you’re not alone, and here are some important things to keep in mind while you take the next steps into adulthood.
The Gap Year
So maybe you’re not entirely sure what the next steps in your life are going to be. And that’s ok! The first year of post-grad is a great time to take a momentary breath and reconvene with yourself. What are you passionate about? There are dozens of programs across the nation that allow you to get involved with the areas you’re interested in for small work stipends. You’ll be living on a budget, but it’ll allow you to reconnect with your interests and build up real-life work experience before you continue on into adulthood.
Consider graduate school
I know what you’re thinking – you just spent all of your time at the desk and in the library achieving higher education, do you need more? Perhaps not. Depending on your job field and the career that you’re looking to build, a graduate degree may or may not be the right choice for you. However, what a lot of programs in higher education offer is the specialization in your field that you’ve been looking for all throughout undergrad! With more specific courses and smaller class sizes, a graduate program might be exactly what you need to gain the confidence and unique experience you want going further into your job search. A graduate degree provides you with a higher skill set and statistically higher paying jobs once you leave college.
However, grad school is nothing to rush into when it can be an expensive investment. Look for scholarships and make sure it’s something you really want before enrolling.
Your first job won’t be your only job. Your first city won’t be your last stop either!
Of course you’d like to be offered your dream job only moments after you step off the stage on graduation day, but that doesn’t happen to everyone. Finding a job that fits your needs after college allows you to explore your work field in a way that you’ve never been able to before. These new skills and this time spent in the workplace allow you to build up to the job of your dreams. You won’t live in one city for the rest of your life or work only one job. Keep in mind that there’s always something bigger and better on its way to you!
Overall, the post-grad goal is to become a more self-sufficient adult. Cut yourself some slack and just know that establishing who you are and what you want to be all comes in good time! Make decisions that benefit your long-term goals. If you continue to seek new experiences and opportunities by staying driven and motivated, the rest will fall into place.
Courtesy of Charles Deloye