What to do once you've graduated
Not all undergraduates decide to work straightaway, many decide they need either further qualifications or some experience of work first. Lots of students see the time immediately after graduating as the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel and see the world.
There are various options you can pursue
The reasons for doing further study vary. The main ones usually cited by postgraduates themselves are:
- 'It was an essential requirement for my intended career. (For example, teaching, law or for many arts and humanities students)
- 'I always wanted a doctorate'
- 'I was offered a place and a grant, so I accepted'
- 'I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I hoped more study would give me the direction I wanted'
For many students though, further study is not an option because of financial limitations and worries about getting into more debt. According to some studies, 10 per cent of students with debts had not been able to fund further postgraduate study and had gone straight into jobs instead and 15 per cent of graduates said debts meant they had to take the first job offered.
Azure blue sea lapping gently at your feet under a hazy tropical sky. Who could resist the idea of relaxing after finals?
Taking time out for a holiday or to travel the world can be an excellent idea, but make sure you have thought about:
- What you want to do, achieve, learn
- What your resources are, what the financial implications will be for you
- What happens next, think about what you will do when you get back, before you go!
Employers vary enormously in their attitudes to time out. Some will allow you to defer a job for a year if you can demonstrate that it will add value, for example, by learning a language or developing other skills. Some employers will also accept recent graduates who have taken a year out to travel/work if it can be seen as relevant. Usually, the more graduates a company employs each year, the more likely it is to allow a deferment.
Time now for a reality check. Most surveys indicate that graduates are leaving university with heavy debts. Only one in ten new graduates left university without owing money borrowed during their period of study with the average debt rising almost year on year.
Many graduates accept fill in jobs after graduation. Some studies have found the proportion of students expecting to take what is euphemistically termed ' other work' to be as high as 20-25 per cent. Clearly, many students recognise that the first job they take after graduation may not be linked to their idea of a career. This choice may be due to debt or, perhaps, other personal circumstances.
Summary
- Most students do not feel very clear about their future career direction. This emerges slowly, sometimes only after work experience or a year or so in work following graduation.
- You will enter and leave the career thinking cycle many times, often feel stuck, lost and confused. This is a normal part of the process. The fog will lift though.
- Choose a career strategy that will work for you, taking a few steps along the way while you are at university will be a big help.
General information should be available from your local careers advisory service, most offer:
- A locally produced vacancies bulletin
- Hold a local work experience fair
- A local community service skills exchange
There are also specialist schemes such as the Workable Graduate Support Scheme, which provides support to create placements for disabled students with major employers.
This material has been taken from the Graduate Career Handbook, published under the FTPH imprint © Pearson Education Ltd.
