It’s that time of year when you’ll find that your graduation is lurking around the corner and you’re coming to the end of your final year with no career plans after that. Or, maybe you’ve finished course in recent weeks but still haven’t got your head around what to do next? Well fear not, we have a few ideas up our sleeve which will hopefully give you food for thought and inspire your next step….
Get yourself a job or apply for a graduate scheme (we know a great one 😉)
Of course, entering the working world is a great way to start earning some money – giving you the chance to start getting to grips with how best to make your money last all month (especially if you’re used to living night out to night out). However, the true benefit of starting work is beyond the money. It’s gives you valuable work experience, which yes is great for your CV but on a personal level, it means you get to put your skills, and dreams, to the test. You may think you want to work in a particular role/sector/company, but when the crunch comes to it, is that still the case? If it’s not, then that’s great learning – you learn about yourself what you like and just as important, what you don’t like. Those learnings will shape the direction of your whole career.
A graduate scheme such as ours (ok, so we may be a little biased) is an excellent way to enter the world of work but in a role, that’s supported by a specific training framework and career pathway. Employers don’t expect to see vast amounts of experience (if any) for graduate roles, we accept that it’s likely to be your first role and so it’s important to really think about, and shout about you and your personal attributes. Why we should choose you and why you’re choosing us to start your career at?
Go travelling!
Travelling and exploring places that you haven’t been to before shows independence, confidence and is an excellent way to gain some excellent life skills. Not everything in life is taught at university. It gives you chance to experience other cultures and meet new people that you may not have otherwise encountered if you stayed in your hometown as well as a chance to reward yourself with some fun having completed your degree. We spoke to Sam to get her thoughts on travelling after graduating.
Sam – “After graduating I spent six months working two different jobs to save up for a backpacking trip around South East Asia. Travelling was an unbelievable experience in terms of my personal growth, the relationships I made and the different cultures I was absorbed in helped to shape me to be the person I am today. On returning from my trip, I felt refreshed, revitalised and ready to kick start my career in marketing.”
We don’t have an age limit on our grad scheme for exactly this reason. We understand that travelling is top of the list having finished your studies and so you don’t need to come to us straight from uni. We look for talent and enthusiasm, and for us, that doesn’t come with an expiry date. So, there you have it, from an employer’s perspective – if you have the travel bug and is an itch that you need to scratch, go do it!
Carry on the studying and get a Master’s degree.
If you’ve enjoyed studying and not ready to hang your textbooks up just yet, then considering a Masters degree might be the way to go for you. A Masters degree is a higher-level qualification, which means you can apply for another student loan to help fund your studies so don’t let the tuition fees put you off. Depending on what career you’re looking to go into, a Masters might be required but even if it isn’t, and it comes purely from a burning desire to learn more, then explore if it’s something you do full time or part time alongside gaining employment.
From an employer’s point of view, seeing a Masters degree on a CV shows dedication, intelligence and hard-graft – all of which will help you stand out from a crowd when applying for roles. We chatted to Laura who explained her motivations behind choosing to do her Masters.
Laura – “I chose to complete my MA Design straight after graduating from my undergraduate degree, and it was the best decision I could’ve made! It allowed me to explore a new design discipline that I didn’t learn as an undergraduate and really added depth to my knowledge and practical application. I believe completing my Masters degree really shaped me as a professional designer. It gave me much more of a focus whilst I was studying and ultimately more opportunities – especially in the current climate as more companies are online.”
So, there you have it, a few options to think about after graduation. The opportunities are endless so it’s ok to not know what you want to do straight away. So, if you’re thinking about travelling to South Asia for 6 months, continue your studies or desperate to get started with work, our only advice would be to just go for it!
