For as long as I can remember I’ve associated the month of
September with going back to school, college or university. Well for the first
time in my life I’ve got nowhere to go back to now that the summer is over. Now all
the hoopla surrounding graduation has died down reality is beginning to
sink in; I’m in the real world. Recently most common question I get asked is “what are you going to do now?”
No one understands how much I hate this question, if I had my way, my first
response would be “Shut up and mind your own business!”
As I haven’t chosen the
most obvious route of joining a graduate scheme answering the question, “what
are you going to do now?” can be quite awkward at times. I know exactly what I'm going to do but explaining that my goals do not lie within a graduate
scheme, may come across to some that I am not making the most of my degree. This
assumption is false, I just see no point in going down a career path that is financially
lucrative but does not stimulate me mentally or doesn’t help me in achieving my
long term goals.
Most of us are in the same position and are really just
trying to figure it all out. If your feeling alone and are still trying to figure
it out, here are some things you might want to consider before deciding what your
next step is.
Make A Plan & Put It Into Action: One of the first
things you should do before making your next step is to make a plan. There is
no harm in writing down where you want to be in 5 to 10 years time. 10 years
ago I had just started secondary school and when I look back that time really
flew by. I can only imagine how quick the next 5- 10 years will come by. What
we are doing now has such a big impact on where we will be in the future so
START NOW! Consider the steps you need to take in order to achieve your long
term goals.
Tap Into Your Passions: I’ve never understood people who
choose career paths purely based on financial gain. We all love the finer
things in life but I don’t believe you should compromise your passions, talents
and happiness for a salary based job earning 25k a year. WOMP. Take the time to
evaluate what really motivates you and what career field you can excel in.
What are your interests? What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Finding
a career path is much easier when you focus on what you are passionate about. There
is nothing more depressing than being that person who dreads waking up on a Monday
morning because they hate the thought of going to work.
Network With The Right People: During my time at university
I used to find networking events so cringe. The awkward exchanges with people I’ve
never met can make a girl like me somewhat uncomfortable, as I can be reserved at times. If you were once like me it’s time to shake off this mentality, it
will only hold you back. You’ve probably heard this so many times but I can’t
stress how important it is to network. Not only is it important to network but
it’s even more important to network with the right people. Identifying your
goals is merely the first step, you now have to connect with the people that
can help you accomplish these goals. Don’t sleep on social media as a way of networking,
social networking sites such as Twitter can be used for many things, other than
stalking your secret crush every move. Use these sites to your advantage and
connect with the right people. Networking effectively, interning and attending
networking workshops can be a great step in identifying what it is you want to
do.
I Want My Dream Job Right Now: How great would it be if we all landed our dream jobs straight after leaving university? Well the reality is that for the
majority, landing your dream job after university may not happen as quick as you
want it to. For many of us the task of acquiring our dream job may be filled
with many closed doors which can be very disheartening. The road to landing
your dream job can seem like a never ending struggle but you can’t let disappointments
knock your hustle. I find that a lot of recent graduates get easily frustrated
with their circumstances, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had one of my
friends tell me how tired they are of their current situation. You can't let your current situation get you down, remain focussed and choose to see your current job or internship as a
stepping stone to your long term goals.We all have to start somewhere and
sometimes that means starting from the bottom so don’t be discouraged.
Live Your Life: In the mist of looking for a job and
considering your next step don’t forget to live your life. HAVE FUN! Do and try
things you’ve never done before, travel, meet new people, do it all. Don’t let
the next step stress you out to the point where you forget to live your life.
Find the balance between work and play because you only live once.
AK
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I LOVE THIS! EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS 100%! I FEEL INSPIRED!
ReplyDeletejust finished uni and this helped a lot. thank you so much!!
ReplyDeletethis blog is really good
ReplyDeleteare we going to hear about your plans in your upcoming blogs ?
I can completely relate with this blog post. I graduated 3months ago with a degree in media & communications. I can truly say I was stuck in the mind set of getting my dream job as soon as. But life has a way of knocking sensr into you, the amount of times that ive broken down over this issue allowing it to consume my happiness. Im still an unemployed graduate but you just have to have the faith that everything will work out at the end.
ReplyDelete