Congratulations final year students we have made it to what seems like the longest marathon of our lives, and yet somehow it’s ending all too soon.
We have spent the majority of our nights writing essays, researching data, revising for exams and most importantly working through a pandemic while still keeping our sanity intact (well, sort of). But it has all been worth it now that we have handed in our final assignments; we are officially free and moving onto the next steps. The big question is though what are our next steps?
This can raise more questions than answers unfortunately, but I’m here to give you a few suggestions that might help you get started.
Depending on your course you may decide to find an internship to gain some real life experience within your field. One of the biggest graduate careers websites is Prospects, they help you find work experience or internships, they assist you in cv writing, offer careers advice and so much more. If you want to know more then check out their site in the link below:
They also offer advice on graduate jobs as many of us are ready to enter the workforce and start making a career for ourselves. As exciting as this may be this is where I will tell you to start working on your LinkedIn profile, this is one of the greatest networking sites available. Many people have been known to find new jobs through this platform, not only can you post your CV on the site but companies also post jobs. As this is a professional site make sure that your profile shows your best side possible.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin
Another avenue you could go down in entrepreneurship, depending on what your university provides you could find assistance with your own business. At Oxford Brookes University we have an in-house education management company that helps Brookes students, staff and graduates with support in their start-up, entrepreneurship, mentoring and much more. You could get involved with their award competitions which gives you the chance to make your business idea a reality, workshops to help you better your skills or even set you up with a co-working space to get you inspired. Check out their many programmes in the link:
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/enterprise/
As amazing as these ideas are, you may decide that you aren’t ready to leave education and feel like there is more for you to learn. A masters programme can give you an even deeper understanding of your chosen subject, it allows you to reach a higher level of academia.
If none of these ideas stir any excitement within you then you may just need a well earned break and go travelling for awhile, many of us feel completely burned out after finishing our degree. If this is the case do not feel guilty for wanting a little break, jobs will come and go but eventually you will end up where you need to be.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
See you next time!