Graduation is already creeping closer and while it is a time to be proud and celebrate your achievements over the past three years, it also comes with the realisation that it is almost time to become a working adult.
We see constant reminders of the dwindling job markets that fills us with fear, we take our first steps into adult life at already over 25-thousand pounds in debt and to top it off our student discount card expires.
It’s hard not to panic. After spending our whole lives in education, we must accept and adjust to the thought of not only finding a job and working full time, but most us will also leave the city we have called home for three years and move back to our parents house until we have the money to move out again.
We all have ‘the fear’, family members ask us about our career plans until the point we want to run away and hide but it is important to remember that we are not in this alone.
Not everyone will take the same route so don’t panic if your plans don’t match those of the people around you. There are some who will bag a graduate scheme, some will return to university to do a master’s degree and others might get a part time job.
It’s important to remember when we leave uni we are still young, at 21 we still have our whole lives ahead of us and even if it does not happen right away a job will come our way. We also don’t have to accept the first job that we are offered, you can take time to work out what you want to do, time is on our side.
The university has a careers service that runs via drop in’s, so if you feel overwhelmed about leaving or are looking for some help with writing CV’s or applications go visit them. It may also help to motivate you, with the confidence of a CV that you know sells you perfectly you will be excited rather than scared to apply for that scheme you thought you would not stand a chance at getting.
Another great boost is experience, even if you can only fit in one day a week it will help you gain knowledge of the industry you want to enter. It can also clear things in your mind, if you decide you can’t imagine yourself doing it for the rest of your life then you can start to plan other options that sound more appealing.
Thankfully the options are almost endless, don’t worry and stress yourself now. Concentrate on this year and take time to work on not only your work but go to other events.
Enjoy university while it lasts, go out and enjoy all the trebles you can handle, go for that walk to Jesmond dene you have been putting off and join the society you wish you had first year. You will regret it if you don’t.