“So, what are your post-grad plans?”
I’m only a second year, but I already hear this question on a weekly basis. It seems like the moment I enrolled at university, everyone in my life — from relatives to coworkers to random acquaintances — started clamoring to find out what exactly I’ll do with myself after college. I know that lots of my fellow humanities students also struggle with this barrage of inquiries. When your major lacks a preset career path, people can’t help but get curious.
The problem is if you’re not exactly sure where you’ll end up after graduation, continually facing interrogations into your plans can be super stressful. So, with grad season in full swing and “what are your post-grad plans?” hanging on every family friend’s lips, here’s how I tackle the looming question.
The first point to keep in mind when fielding deep dives into your post-grad projects is accepting that you don’t owe anyone a perfect, clean-cut answer. It can at times feel like there’s pressure to immediately promise that you have an impressive job lined up or lofty grad school ambitions. But there’s no shame in not having it all figured out! College is the time to experiment with different academic and career interests. Testing the waters and oscillating between a few possible careers is totally normal. The past few pandemic years have certainly shown us all the value in staying flexible and not marrying yourself to specific plans. So don’t agonize over formulating your answer to meet anyone else’s expectations.
Once you’ve accepted that it’s ok to not have your whole life scheduled out, you still need to think of a go-to response to the “what are your post-grad plans?” question. In my experience, there are two easy approaches to take, if you’re post-college goals are still up in the air. The first option is to focus on the career values you aspire to rather than naming a specific position. For example, you could say, “I’m looking to work in improving tech accessibility,” or “I’m going for a job where I can be creative and collaborative.” These types of answers allow you to share a bit about your goals even in the absence of concrete projects in the pipeline. Alternatively, you can reroute the question to instead focus on what you’re currently up to. This type of answer could look like, “I’m not exactly sure what the future holds, but I’m super excited about and focused on my current research at the UCLA labs.” Opting for this kind of answer can be a great method for subtly steering the conversation in a more comfortable direction.
Hopefully, you keep these tips in mind the next time your brain goes blank when asked about post-grad life. Try to remember that even if the questions feel nerve-racking, you’ll figure out a career journey on your own timeline. No matter how much it looks like all of your peers have their whole lives figured out, you’re not alone in your indecision. Let’s all release some pressure this grad season and focus on appreciating the present.