The end of university can feel a bit like a cliff edge. You spend three years in a bubble of assignments, lectures and nights out and then, all of a sudden, it ends.
You spent much of your final year being bombarded with talks from potential employers and career advisers. This was meant to help give you options and ideas for what to do next, but it only resulted in you getting more stressed and confused. Now the end is in sight and you don’t know what path to take.
Sound familiar?
Some people have always known exactly what they want to do. But what about the rest of us?
Here are my top tips for how to plan your next steps for life after university, without getting overwhelmed.
1. Consider what lifestyle you want after University
Before starting to research job options or further study, consider what sort of life you want to have. Most people miss this step and this is why so many graduates are unhappy with their careers a couple of years down the line. To avoid this, prioritise from the start the sort of lifestyle which will ultimately make you happy.
But what do we mean by what lifestyle you want?
We all might want to have a lifestyle of a millionaire and while that might be possible for some, this step will be more useful if you think realistically about what you can achieve in the next 5-10 years.
To get you started, ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers. This will start building up what that ideal life looks like.
- How important is it to live close to friends and family?
- Do you want to live in a city or more rural?
- Would you like to live or travel abroad?
- How important is it for you to do a role that makes a difference in other people’s lives?
- Would you mind commuting to work on public transport?
- Would you like to have your own car and drive?
- How important is it to have a steady pay check and job security?
- Would you like to work for yourself?
- Do you want to work in an office?
- How do you feel about doing a 9 to 5 job?
Now, go back through your list and pick the top 3 things that are important to you. Cutting down your list to three things will help you stay focused and stop you getting overwhelmed wondering how you can achieve it all.
There is a lot of noise out there around life after uni and what decisions you should be making. Keeping these 3 things close, will help you cut through the noise and remember what is important to you.
2. Research Options for after graduation
Next, get an idea for the high level options available to you going forward. You might have discarded some of these already thinking they are not feasible for financial reasons or your personal circumstances. At this stage keep an open mind and consider each one as if it is possible for you. It might be that you find schemes or support available for people in your position that make it possible.
Further Study
Typically a third of undergraduates go on to further study. There are many reasons why someone might want to carry on studying.
- To continue researching a preferred subject in more depth
- To study something different to your undergraduate degree to unlock more career options (e.g. Law, Computer Science, Finance)
- In order to apply for specific jobs that require further study (e.g. Engineering)
- To delay graduation and starting a career
Some people may try and put you off with the cost of continuing to study. Yes you will end up with a bigger student debt. However remember that student debt (in the UK) is different to standard debt. You don’t have to pay it back until you’re earning enough and it gets whipped after 30 years. According to full fact, only 17% of students are expected to pay back their student loans. While further study is expensive, there are ways to support yourself (see here).
Going back to studying when you are older is a lot more difficult. You will have other responsibilities and more ties to certain locations. While it is possible, you might find studying at this point in your life much easier to manage rather than waiting until you are older and more settled. If you’ve always wanted to study 18th century fashion or Roman politics, then take the opportunity to follow your dream now, as you may regret not doing it later in life.
In addition, if you are sure your chosen career is right for you, but you don’t have the right experience. This is an ideal way to build up your experience and get yourself into a position where you can apply for your dream job.
Many people consider university to be some of the best days of their lives. In the grand scheme of things, it could easily be worth staying on just for the continued experience. If you enjoy it, then don’t let others tell you it is a waste of time.
Graduate Job
Getting a good graduate job is what most people are aiming for and the reason they went to university to start off with. It’s not just the career focused who want to land a job straight away. If you are struggling financially or don’t want to have to rely on parents/family to get by, getting a job as soon as possible gives you that first taste of freedom and ability to support yourself.
What do we mean by graduate job?
A graduate job effectively means getting a job that requires a graduate degree but a lot of people assume it means applying to a selective graduate programme that are generally offered by large companies (e.g. PwC, Proctor and Gamble, Nestle, Unilever, Aldi). These companies tend to come to job fares with free sweets, pens and shiny fliers and sell students the idea that their scheme is the key to future success. As such there is often a lot of pressure and competition to secure one of these roles.
What are the other options for work after uni?
These can be good options, but they are not the only option. Smaller companies want to hire graduates as well and while they might not have a shiny flyer or give away free chocolate, that doesn’t mean they won’t be a good option for you.
Remember to keep in mind the bigger picture. Just because everyone else is fighting over these roles, doesn’t mean you have to join them. It’s more important now to work out what career you want than to rush head first into a job you might not like. These big graduate schemes generally accept those who graduated one or two years ago as well as new graduates so they will still be there for you in a year’s time if you want to go for it.
If you want to get into work straight after university, jump ahead to section 3 and start researching career options.
Internship / Contract
Internships are not just something for students to do over the summer. There are opportunities for graduates as well. Internships are most common in certain industries where you need to gain experience before you can be considered for a permanent role.
However they are also useful for getting an idea of what a job is like before you apply to work there permanently. No matter how many articles you read or individuals you talk to, you will never know exactly what a certain job or company is like until you work there.
Taking on contract work is similar in that you get to experience a job over a fixed period of time. It can be a bit more complicated as you have to sort out your own finances and tax. However it also gives you a flexible way to experience certain industries.
A well known problem with internships is that they can be unpaid or very low paid making it difficult to live and gain experience. For information and advice on internships and how to make it work for you see here.
Start a business
Most graduates assume they are not ready to start a business even if it is something they are interested in. However, do not write it off as impossible. Many universities offer entrepreneur schemes where they support students and graduates through starting their own business. If you have an idea, but no idea where to start, research what support is available at your own university.
In addition, we live in a digital world. There is nothing to stop you from getting out your laptop and starting your own online business. Start a youtube channel, start a blog or create your own instragram or tiktok content. You can also look into selling online through amazon or sites like depop. Find some ideas to get you started here.
Gap year
A gap year doesn’t have to mean spending a whole year travelling the world. Even if you want to do this, the current situation is going to delay your plans. However there is still an option of taking a year out to relax and plan your next steps. Not everything needs to feel like a mad rush as you try to make a decision by the time your last exam is done.
You could find a job that pays the bills and focus on relaxing and planning your next steps. Or you could get a part time job and spend the rest of your time working on your passion (e.g. music, writing, art, photography). You could even make your passion into a career with enough work. Once you start full time work, you won’t have nearly as much time to focus on this and you may end up regretting rushing into a career straightaway.
3. Research Career Options
Even if you are not planning on going into a job straight away after finishing university, you are going to need a career or income source at some point in the next few years. Therefore it is important to start understanding what options you want to work towards.
Research the whole picture
As usual, the internet is probably going to be your best place to start. Websites such as glassdoor, give detailed job profiles for different careers and what sort of qualification/skills you need to get started. It can also give you an idea for the earning potential and working hours.
How much weight you put into these things is going to be personal preference but remember to keep in mind the whole picture. You can earn a lot from investment banking but you will probably be working very long hours. You might like the idea of working in a trendy start up or you might prefer the job security that comes with a more established organisation.
Keep in mind the three key lifestyle elements that you identified in step 1. Compare each career option with these elements in mind as well as other key areas that are important to you.
Think outside of what you studied
Just because you didn’t study a certain subject doesn’t mean some careers are no longer possible. Now is the time to be open minded and think outside what you studied. This is especially important for people who studied subjects that naturally align with careers like engineering, law and accountancy. Yes you have been taught as if you will go on to those fields, however you picked this course when you were a teenager and what you wanted then might not be what you want now. Be brave and choose the career that is right for you now.
For some areas of work this will be harder than for others. If you decide that your dream is to be a doctor, then you will have to go back to university and re-train. This is not as unusual as you think though. I know personally many people who chose to start again in order to get their dream career.
If you really have no idea where to start, yes take a look at what careers people who studied your degree went on to do. But use this as a way to guide you, not something to stick to. You can also take career quizzes such as this one from prospects. This can take your skills and career goals and suggest things you might want to look into.
Don’t be afraid of the competitive jobs
The ratio of applicants to available jobs for certain industries can be scary. It is easy to get put off certain jobs because you don’t think you will stand a chance of breaking in. While the odds might not be in your favour, if you really want to do it, you can make it happen.
There is never just one way to get into a certain role. Yes landing that competitive internship will give you a massive step up, but plenty of people also get started by doing something related in the same company and then moving across.
For example, if you want to be a journalist, you could start at a small online website and work your way to a bigger news outlet. Or you could freelance to gain writing experience while you apply for jobs. If you don’t try, then you will never get the role. The worst thing will be getting 3 or 4 years down the line and regret that you never tried.
Don’t compare yourself to others
Your friends may find getting a graduate role a lot easier than you. They might be getting countless job offers while you are struggling to land an interview. Don’t get drawn into comparing yourself or questioning the end goal you are working towards. It might be that it takes you longer to get an offer or that you start with a lower salary but if this role will get you where you want to be, then that’s all that matters.
4. Think Long Term
Your first job out of university is just the first step of a hopefully long career. You have your whole working life to climb the ladder and get into the right industry. If you do want to retrain or change your career, don’t think of it as a step backwards. Everything you do will be important in shaping your future.
A good book to read on this topic is called Range by David Epstien. This book focuses on the fact that it is often better to have range and spend time working in different industries before specialising. I can highly recommend reading this if you are worried about being on the wrong path or behind your peers.
Try also to spend some time thinking longer term around what you want to achieve in your 20s. You might want to go travelling, save enough to buy a house or work abroad. Keep these things, along with your 3 key lifestyle goals, in mind when making your decisions and review them regularly. Everyone’s needs and wants changes over time and it’s OK to change strategy a few years down the line.
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Ultimately try not to put too much pressure on yourself when deciding your next steps. If it all seems like too much, focus on finishing your exams first and then take it one step at a time.
Are you having time deciding what is next? Email Jenny@thelondongraduate.com and you could be featured in our next careers Q&A.
