When I graduated from college several years ago, I remembered breathing a huge sigh of relief. Freedom – finally! I remembered staring at my empty dormitory room for a long time before a blank space clouded me. Alright, what’s next?
I just realized that I don’t have a clue about what I can do after graduation. Should I snag a good job and join the rat race just like everyone else? Or should I take a break to figure out my career path for the next 40 years to come?
I asked some successful folks around me for some good advice and thought I would share them with you.
What To Do After Graduation
(1) Do You Want Some Adventure?
Then go travel. You have spent the last 20 years or so learning about the world from a classroom. Now is the perfect time to see and feel the world for yourself. Go backpacking in Asia, or do a gap year – whatever.
You might come home broke, but on the upside, you’ll never have this luxury of time freedom again once you start working from 9-5.
Traveling is also a great way to network with new friends, discover your survival skills, and to truly apply the classroom knowledge that we have learned as a student.
I wanted to see the world, so travel I did.
(2) Do You Want to Do Something Good?
Then go volunteer. The more advanced we are as an educated society, the more power we have in our hands to make a positive impact on our community. A little kindness can go a long way and the outcome can be more rewarding than you thought.
Often, volunteering work can expose us to some harsh realities in life. You will experience what it means to live out of your comfort zone and what it’s like to receive help. At the end of the day, you will realize that all our needs are the same and it’s sometimes better to give than to take.
I wanted to know what changes I can make, so volunteer I did.
(3) Do You Want to Continue Studying?
At a lesser percentage, some of us favor continuing our studies. Maybe you want to learn more or maybe you want to pursue research in a specific field.
Whatever the reasons may be, seeking for more knowledge as part of your passion is never a wrong move.
However, bear in mind that the cost of education is a big factor to consider before making this decision.
With a college loan already in one hand, can you handle more debt for further education? How do you balance it out with your daily expenses?
If financing is an issue, learning online can be a great alternative to saving costs while working on a part-time job. This way of learning is becoming popular because of its conveniences, but I suggest you review the pros and cons of online education first to see if it meets your goals and expectations.
(4) Do You Want to Get Married?
If you are keen to tie the knot with your partner, both of you need to sit down and discuss your future as a couple.
Are you ready to move in together? Does either one of you have a stable income to support your family? Do you know how much it costs to raise a child?
The more you ask, the more you are likely to find what it takes to make a marriage work. Likewise, a careless approach to answering these questions can have huge consequences resulting in early divorce, infidelity, or single parenthood.
All these troubles can be avoided if we have considered the factors of a happy marriage.
(5) Do You Want to Start a Business?
This one got me thinking. I didn’t graduate with a business degree, hence I never considered it an option.
How do you start a business without having any experience? Well, the folks who advised me, said it’s possible.
You see, in traditional employment, you are quite restricted in terms of exploring your ideas or generating more income.
In business, you are your boss. Your creativity is not limited and every idea can lead to a business opportunity. Most importantly, you get to live the kind of lifestyle that you want.
Be Bold and Take the Risk
I was told that whatever decision I make in my 20’s will have a great impact on my 30’s and beyond. When you walk out of college, you are walking into a world of many uncertainties. Even a professional degree won’t guarantee you any satisfaction.
So, listen to your inner voice. What is it that you want to do? Make it happen.
I hope these tips have helped you figure out what to do after college. If you are still feeling stuck, why not check out this awesome online program to see how you can pursue your passion and make a good living out of it. You’ll love what the training has to offer.
Do you have any thoughts or questions about this topic? Please leave them in the comment area below and I’ll get back to you.
Hi there Cathy, I loved reading your website. You see ,I am one of those that is old and grey. I do believe I am going to have my grandson look at it. Everything you said is on the money. I loved the short viewing of Jim Carry’s commencement address. He definitely gets the point across. Don’t let fear make your decisions for you.
Yup, Jim Carrey’s speech really wraps up the entire message of the article. I would encourage every college student, including your grandson, to listen to it.
Hi Cathy,
This is a wonderful post and I wish I had taken your advice when I was in that situation.
I was so lost and didn’t know what to do, but I did well in academics so I naturally thought I had to continue down that path and that I had no other choice.
Your suggestions are wonderful and I do hope that more young people who are about to graduate, read this article. I especially liked the travel idea – the best time to travel is when you’re at that age. Later on, priorities change and you don’t have as much freedom.
I absolutely loved watching Jim Carrey’s speech – it is so uplifting! I just watched an old episode of Oprah who talked to Jim and he had a very difficult start in life. He believed so strongly in the power of visualization and hard work and his dreams came true because of it. He’s such an inspiration!
Thanks for this great article!
Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us Anna and I totally agree with what you said. The working life offers limited freedom and with family commitment, it can be very difficult to travel the way you want. Post-college life is the best time to explore all the opportunities that you are curious about and this is often the time when creative ideas become a reality.
This is a good post. IMO, there is no need to see it as going into a career for the next 40 years. I didn’t even finish college myself, but afterwards it took me several years to really figure out what I want to do. I would say to take your time and figure out what your passion is. There’s no need to rush into things.
Well presented site – giving people joining the workforce reasons for reading this website and considering the type of lifestyle they may like to follow on to.
It encourages readers to explore their choices and take a path that could reward with opportunities of freedom and life style, which is a real possibility using the best online programs. Or taking the more traditional line of working for a boss, and exchanging dollars for time.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I wish someone like you had been around when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do after college. I got a job right out of college but it was not what I really wanted. Money was good, so spent my working life there instead of following my dream.
I think your advice of taking time for yourself after graduation is very good advice. Take the time and find out what you truly want to do. When you have a career that you really love, it will not seem like work at all. Now with the internet, the possibilities for a great career are endless.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with us, Maureen.
It bothers me these days that kids are either too academic driven or they are totally lost in their career path after spending so many years in formal education. On the contrary, I find that kids who are less privileged and having to struggle some difficulties in education, emerge as a more adaptive, creative and independent person in their adult life.
So the whole point of taking the time for yourself after college is to seek for challenges and get out of the comfort zone. The internet offers a lot of resources and it’s also a great platform to start something that you’ve never done before.
Hi Cathy, really like your blog and have shared this with my daughter, she is really struggling on what to do next with her life. You have really spelled out some great options and will help her think about the direction. I have told her what she does today will impact her future, you have a great post. Thanks and hope this helps my daughter, it’s a tough stage of life
Hi there Bob,
College and post-college stage is one of the most important milestone in our lives. Definitely not an easy one for me and I’ve made a lot of mistakes for not opening up myself to more options. I hope this article can inspire your daughter to start something on her own will and not follow what others want her to do.
Thanks for reading.