After years of focus on classes and studying, it’s time to step into the real world and use what you’ve learned. It’s what you strived for all this time. Congratulations! Recent college graduates have so many choices. Whether you are ready to begin your career or want to consider an alternative path, know you have many viable options, and they can all lead to great success.
Congratulations! Your post-college options are endless!
It’s an exciting time. Don’t be overwhelmed. Don’t be scared. Be proud and positive! Of course you have decisions to make now but the great thing about this time is that you have options. We all go through it so know you are not alone. You got this.
Serious congratulations are in order!
We’re talking mostly about college graduates, but the fact is, graduation or completion of a program or simply deciding “it’s your time” is all relevant and the decision making process is the same.
That said, recent high school, trade school, and college graduates ALL have many options. Some graduates are ready to begin their careers while others want to consider or simply gain experiences through alternative career paths.
Depending on where you are geographically, you may be staying put or moving back home – or maybe you are ready to try an area that’s totally new and unique.
This is the time of life when the world is your oyster.
Have you ever heard that saying? It means when you get to do what you want and create your own path! There are endless opportunities and many hidden treasures… such as pearls.
Nothing comes without a cost though, so Carefully consider your options and interests and choose a post-graduation path that benefits both your career and your passions.
After years of hard study, you’ve reached your goal and earned a college degree. It’s one of the sweetest moments in life, a culmination of hard work and commitment that for many people began in their teens. But now comes the big question: What do I do now?
Followed by, again, what? When? Where? How? And probably again… What?
Laugh.
Breathe.
Realize you DO have options. No decision is wrong.
No path sets you back. Each option prepares you. 😊
Make finding a job exciting ~
- Interview for a full-time job and get out there.
- Seek alternative positions to gain work experience.
- Accept an internship.
- Consider an apprenticeship.
- Work a research assistant.
- Volunteer.
- Become an entrepreneur & start your own business.
- Continue your postgraduate studies.
- Take a gap year.
1.) Interview for a full-time job and get out there.
Dream job, small job, in-between job.
Place special focus on companies that have new grad programs.
Be open. New grads don’t typically command large salaries. No matter how much you invested in your learning, new grads don’t typically command large salaries. (repeated in case it didn’t sink in the first time)
Be humble. Be willing to grow into your role and earn the promotions.
Know where you want to go, and know you may have to start in one place, and create a path of experience to get you to that job – or company.
No one is handing you anything. Be willing to prove yourself and work for it.
Seasoned managers will recognize your worth and help you. If your manager isn’t that person, find a mentor. Strategize.
2) Seek alternative positions to gain work experience.
Alternative positions can offer you flexibility and open up a world of opportunity to gain valuable experience.
Consider literally every opportunity. Weigh part-time, seasonal temp, temp to perm, full-time entry-level positions. Something to help you gain. Gain experience. Gain extra money. Use this time to figure out what you want to do next. Use this time to learn the definition of work and life balance and learn to create it.
Use this time to think about what you really want, and take the opportunity to network as you explore your area of interest – but also create your next chapter.
If you are having trouble finding the perfect job or getting hired for the perfect job, change-up your plan. Work with the goal of gaining experience – experience leading to your planned path, experience in trying something new, experience to differentiate you from the competition.
The time following graduation might be when you follow a passion. Explore a passion full-time or part time just to see if it’s a fit for you – or to build an earning opportunity you totally enjoy as you save and gain additional experience. Adaptability is key!
3.) Accept an internship.
Internships aren’t just for juniors and seniors in college.
Interns may be recent grad looking to gain entry into competitive industries or particular companies. It could be temporary, part-time, or pay less, but maybe not. Internships are a great way for a company to help young people gain experience, but they are also often opportunities to test each other out.
At the very least, they create resume experience recommendation letters. The ideal time to search for internships is Fall but look any time. If it’s a particular, large company, call their HR department and inquire. Interns get a feel for the company culture as you assess the job market.
4.) Consider an apprenticeship.
Some industries employ apprentices. Apprenticeships take the idea of learning through mentoring or an internship a big step further. Apprentices tend to work on higher level projects with more in-depth guidance and mentoring. They are often the start of a rewarding career.
Investigate local school offerings as well as state programs. There are registered apprenticeship programs combining formal instruction with a paid, on-the-job learning program. These do exist!
In addition, there are employers who will hire you and then subsidize some or all the cost of the outside training and education to support your new hire training.
5.) Work as a research assistant.
Research assistants tend to be college graduates. That may not be a hard and fast rule everywhere, but usually it is colleges and universities who hire recent college graduates to assist with their research programs.
Typically research assistants are part of a research team. You may be assigned specific tasks but act as part of the group. Then again a professor working on something specialized with a smaller budget may work simply with you. If a particular scenario will get you closer to your dream job, then obviously that’s where you look. Working for a math professor when your dream is curing disease could relate if you are going to handle the analytics. Again – strategize. Don’t count yourself out of any opportunity by making assumptions. Explore and be open.
Research teams allow a new grad with a bachelor’s degree to become well-informed and establish professional contacts who are able to point you toward opportunities and experiences that will pay back with regard to your long-term career goals.
6.) Volunteer.
Volunteering is a great way to gain work experience and network.
The time you spend is typically flexible and based on your commitment. You can develop work experience and life skills as you give back.
In some cases, your volunteer efforts can also lead to a paid position with the organization. As you did in school, do your homework. Take volunteering seriously and make it part of your work strategy. It’s a way to do good, curb your spending – and learn.
Volunteers are sought after and appreciated locally, internationally, and across countless categories of need. Narrow down a list that can work for you both with regard to your personal desires and needs. You can even develop cross-cultural communications that allow you to make a difference close to home or that lead to understanding work visas and visa requirements for opportunities to volunteer in another country in need. Even if you don’t speak the language, you can find opportunities where native English speakers are in great demand and needed to help others assimilate here or learn English abroad.
Perhaps schedule interviews with them and let them know what you are working toward and see how your time can be mutually beneficial. Perhaps you are sweeping stalls for a big farm but helping with their marketing efforts. Perhaps you are filing and mailing for an organization but also get to help lead a major fundraiser.
7.) Become an entrepreneur & start your own business.
Entrepreneurship is hot.
Do you have a solution you can bring to life? Did you start a business in school that started to come together? If you have a business idea whose time has come, this may be the time to monetize it and explore how you can turn a profit that will do more than pay rent.
If you’re not sure though. If you’re thinking it’s a lot of work as in too much effort. Thinking you deserve a break. If you have trouble managing money, or caring enough to focus on a task, or if you can’t get out of bed in the morning, then perhaps it’s not.
HOWEVER – If you’re passionate and sure, you’re probably on the right path.
But if you are passionate and have that dream idea for a great product service that the world is waiting for, then take what you know and sketch out a business plan, and consider how you can work that plan to turn a profit.
What will it take? What funds do you need? Where can you work until you build enough to pay yourself or afford to obtain and pay back a business building loan?
8.) Continue your postgraduate studies.
Sometimes, the job you want requires additional education in order to develop the skillset you need.
Certain degree programs are cut and dry. Graduate school may be a requirement. If you are becoming a doctor or an attorney, then you have a path to follow. If you are learning a trade, then you may have just gained the trade skills and need business courses – or vice versa. It depends upon your chosen field.
Whether you need hands-on skills, soft skills, or particular certifications, you can plan to go for it now before working full-time, or manage your debt by working and continuing to get that training.
“As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.”
― David Sedaris, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls
9.) Take a gap year.
Bridging the gap is an opportunity to grow up and an opportunity to develop your thoughts.
It’s nothing at all to do with immaturity – it’s about determining and figuring out. It’s appreciating a bit of time between serious focus at school and serious focus on career goals and home.
There are plenty of opportunities within the United States to travel to new places and experience different cultures too. Options available to you abound. Don’t rush.
There is nothing wrong with starting life after college by remaining in your college town, taking a breather before going to graduate school, deciding if you need grad school or maybe time to focusing on a new skill set that you know will benefit you – such as teaching abroad.
A gap year is a time of exploration and travel after high school and college graduations. There’s nothing wrong with a decision to take your time. Networking opportunities abound. Talk with an alumnus about your sense of purpose.
Personally, I took a gap summer. That was all I needed. I worked as a wrangler on a dude ranch out west where I’d spent my college summers, and I didn’t regret a single day.
As you recharge, don’t lose your momentum or your drive. Lose any idea of 32 hours is full-time or that full-time jobs are exhausting.
Are you living at home? As an adult sharing time with your family maybe re-enter that world with a focus on life skills and giving back that will benefit you for the rest of your life. It allows you an extended period to recharge, try out various jobs, and next steps. It could give you time to think about what you want, while not being under pressure to pay high rent. The key is to be appreciative and realize the gift for what it is.
“No one can decide the road that inspires us to kick-start a journey better than the one embarking on the path. We may find others joining our journey, but we have to take the first step alone to reach our destination.” ~ Dr. Prem Jagyasi
As a new grad you have so much opportunity ahead of you. It may seem daunting, but when you have the will you will figure out your path. Along the way, you will continue learn and those characteristics of successful entrepreneurs will start yielding dividends.
Most importantly, keep believing in yourself. Know your shortcomings and use mindfulness and those metacognitive insights to keep you focused.
Remember what your mentors taught you – you cannot learn everything the hard way. Be confident, but don’t be cavalier.
You got this.
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