Graduating is rough, especially when you have no idea what you are doing.
Graduation, a magical time when you finally say good-bye to exams, homework, terrible teachers, and tedious assignments that have little relevance to you. The time where you stop getting to say, “well I’m just a college student.” This is the time when people expect you to have your life together, have a job ready to go, along with a place to live and a life plan. Our post grad responders have made it clear that they didn’t know what their plan was, but they prove that everything works out and patience is the key when going into your post grad life.
Our young professionals have shared their advice on post grad life in many ways, but you might be wondering what exactly do these post grad do? Well we have the answer for you, the jobs behind their advice. Our final questions for our Post Grad advisors are:
“What is your current job if you have one?”
“Are you satisfied with this job?”
“Any final thoughts to share with almost grads about Post Grad life?”
Let’s take a look at their answers….
Responder #1: PR/Brand Marketing Coordinator at The North Face
Are you satisfied: “No, I believe I have a lot more to continue to learn and develop.”
Final Advice: ”Do not stress or overthink it. If you work hard and put in the time you will figure it out…or at least that is what I am telling myself until I do!”
Responder #2: Secondary Education ELA Teacher
Are you satisfied: “Yes, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do and my program had satisfactory training about what I should expect.”
Final Advice: “Push yourself and take chances.”
Responder #3: Senior Sales Executive – Yelp
Are You Satisfied: “Yes”
Final Advice: “Never stop finding ways how you can better yourself. Whether it be in the workforce or just in life. If you continue to push what you believe is possible you will have a much better mindset about life and work. You’ll soon find out that a lot of people aren’t happy and hate working, but that is part of life. Be the best employee you can, learn as much as you can, and you’ll get to a point of financial freedom where you can do what you love and love what you do.”
Responder #4: Marketing Intern with an online travel company
Are You Satisfied: “Yes, doing what I actually like”
Final Advice:”Stay involved on campus and take leadership positions whenever possible!”
Responder #5: Working in Family Services
Are You Satisfied: “No. Low pay, lots of hours”
Final Advice: N/A
Responder #6: Program Manager @ Adobe
Are You Satisfied:”Yes, I’ve worked to where I want to be and have found a company with growth to take me to the next level.”
Final Advice: “Believe it or not it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be :-) You are in the driver seat of your own career – make it what you want it to be.”
Responder #7: Research Analyst at Stanford
Are You Satisfied: “No, I am taking a gap year before going to med school.”
Final Advice: “Good luck! And if you don’t like your job/career, it’s totally okay to completely switch and start something new.”
Responder #8: Intake Coordinator for Dr. Office
Are You Satisfied: “No, pays the bills but not something I want to be doing forever. Definitely not what I went to school for.”
Final Advice: “It’s rough. You’re gonna cry a lot and have more mental breakdowns then you’d ever think possible but have faith. Don’t give up even when everything is telling you that you should. Believe me, trouble don’t last always lol you got this.”
Responder #9: Business Development Rep
Are You Satisfied: “Sure.”
Final Advice: “Start thinking about how you want to represent yourself to others — what do you want people to say about you when you leave the room?”
Responder #10: Administrative Assistant
Are You Satisfied: “Yes, for now. This is just a stepping stone for my career. I plan to go to Grad School once I’ve gained enough experience.”
Final Advice: “Things happen for a reason, don’t let a veer in the road change your final destination.”
Responder #11: RN at St. Mary’s
Are You Satisfied: “Yes because it’s a job and what I went to school for.”
Final Advice: “Good Luck.”
Responder #12: Order Management Specialist
Are You Satisfied: “No, it’s not my dream job or challenging.”
Final Advice: “It’s okay not knowing what you want to do. If you’re not in love or happy with your internship/job after 6 months, start looking for another.”
Responder #13: Research Associate 2 at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Are You Satisfied:”Yes, very satisfied. It is challenging and rewarding, however achievable during a normal 40 hour work week.”
Final Advice: “Be patient.”
Responder #14: Kindergarten Teacher
Are You Satisfied: “Yes because it is the career I wanted and went to school for.”
Final Advice: “It’s okay to have lots of interviews before getting a job!! Also, don’t be afraid to change jobs if you don’t like what you do!”
Responder #15: Recruiting
Are You Satisfied: “Yes! I get to work from home for a fast paced startup company and I’m working alongside like minded young adults like myself.”
Final Advice: “You can’t put too much pressure I yourself as a new grad. Be prepared for rejection, it’s a part of the process and really does help you grow and go after what you want even more.”
Responder #16: Data Analyst
Are You Satisfied: “Yes, I’ve had a great career so far. I’m starting a new job in a different industry and it’s exciting but challenging.”
Final Advice: “Be confident!”
Responder #17: ER RN
Are You Satisfied: “Yes, rewarding and well paid.”
Final Advice: “It’s hard transitioning from Student life to adult life but just be patient. You don’t start making the big bucks right away. All in good time.”
Responder #18: ER RN
Are You Satisfied: “Yes, rewarding career with good pay. Exactly the job I’ve worked towards in school.”
Final Advice: “Be patient. A great career with great pay doesn’t come right away.”
Responder #19: Collections Specialist
Are You Satisfied: “Neither, it’s temporary”
Final Advice: “Relax and take advantage of your youth. “you can make back money but can’t make back the time”. Spend your life wisely.”
Responder #20: Husbandry Assistant (Marine Animal Husbandry)
Are You Satisfied: “I love it, it’s different every day, it’s challenging, I’m always learning about chemistry and physics and physiology and anatomy and animal behavior in general and I get to scuba dive with sharks and rays!”
Final Advice: “Take a deep breath and f*ck it up.”
Responder #21: Donor Coordinator
Are You Satisfied: “Yes, fulfilling and pays bills for the most part.”
Final Advice: “If you don’t want to be treated like a kid, don’t act like one.”