Well, you’ve finally made it. After four long years of undergrad, you’ve finally reached your goal of graduating from a university. No more classes, library study sessions, weekly club meetings, and seeing your friends every day. Now, it’s time to boss up and become a “real” adult. It’s time to transition yourself from student to worker. Although this can be a pretty scary ride to endure, you’re not alone. A study conducted by Bouchrika (2021) showed that at least 24% of college students preparing to graduate are stressed about their futures and finding a job after graduation. The stats exist, but the unwanted feelings of stress, uncertainty, and fear of failure don’t have to.
Don’t Work a Job You Hate
As a college student who is preparing to graduate this semester, I see plenty of students who are nervous about liking their job once they graduate. And I’ll admit, I too, have this fear. However, your happiness is much more important than satisfying a degree and career pair. If you hate the job you spent years preparing for, so what? If your family, friends, or colleagues judge you because they think you’re making the wrong decision for leaving that job, so what? If you spend every waking minute loving the job you decide to pursue, that’s what it’s all about. Life is short and working a job that you hate will surely take you off track of pursuing happiness post graduation.
Consider Continuing Your Schooling
Even though I am graduating this semester, I hope to continue my schooling at the same university I currently attend, but in one of their graduate programs. I made this decision partly because I felt that I didn’t learn exactly what I needed to learn in my undergrad program and feared that I wouldn’t be fully prepared for the “real world” unless I learned more. Thankfully, due to financial support, I decided to apply to the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program last December and I am awaiting my decision! Choosing to continue my schooling was a great choice for me and I’m extremely excited to get the ball rolling on it. You may be wondering though, “What if you don’t get accepted?” Then I will try again! Because as the Princess of R&B, Aalyiah, once said: “Dust yourself off and try again, try again.” Choosing to continue your schooling will not only prepare you more for the real world, but it will also give you more time to learn newfound information. Not to mention, this will also allow you to get preparations in order after you receive your next degree!
Give Yourself a Pat on the Back
Earning a degree from a four-year university is a huge accomplishment in itself! As college students, we often forget just how much work we put into our studies and don’t realize that we’ve made it to the finish line. Congratulate yourself for all the hard work, long hours of studying, blood, sweat, and tears you’ve had to endure these past four years. Remember that we not only completed a degree, but we did it during a pandemic. We now join our fellow graduates in remembering how difficult it was to study, maintain good grades, work on or off-campus, and just live a normal, healthy life. So please, give yourself a pat on the back…so many people are proud of what you’ve accomplished!
Whatever it is that you decide to do post graduation, keep your happiness a priority. Try to maintain a structured schedule after you graduate too, because most of us have been so used to the structure of school schedules for more than 20 years! So get your preparations in order, get that degree, and get out there!