|
Congratulations! Finals are over, and you’ve
finally made it -- you’ve graduated! Now what?
If you’re one of those special individuals
who know exactly what you’re going to do for the next
year, five years, or the rest of your life (say, pre-law or
pre-med), then you already know: rest up now, because you’re
in for more of the same (and then some). However, if you’re
like most college graduates, you’ve got a relatively
ambiguous degree and you’re entering a depressed job
market. And you’re probably asking yourself the same
question: now what? What am I going to do with the rest of
my life?
Mind drawing a blank? Try one or all of
these seven steps to get some clarity on your next move:
1. If
you can afford it, take some time off to evaluate. Work your
way across Europe, take that road trip cross country, or take
one last "summer" off. This goes against conventional
wisdom, but you’re still competing in a glut of grads
come June. If you don’t know what you want to do next,
rushing to get the first job that will take you is just going
to put you in a job you don’t like and will probably
hunt to change in a few months to a year anyway. Taking some
time to enjoy being out of school and before entering the
work force is a perfect way to get perspective... and to move
out of the job feeding frenzy of early summer.
2. Read
up. If you thought studying was over, you were wrong. Books
like "Jobs for English Majors" and the perennial
favorite "What Color is Your Parachute?" have detailed
quizzes, examples, as well as job hunting tips to help you
get a career that’s better suited for you... and convince
someone else that you’re better suited for that job.
3. Brainstorm. List everything you enjoy doing, then research possible careers
that tie in. Like playing video games? Look into becoming
a game-tester and get paid for what you’d essentially
be doing all day anyway. Are you a movie fanatic? Look into
becoming a reviewer... or work for a distributor. Is your
dream becoming a published writer? Well... look into a day
job, anyway!
4. Volunteer
or intern. In addition to a day job, or if you can afford
it, before you officially start your search. Sure, you’re
probably thinking "I left college so I could start making
money!" But you can make money by doing a lot of things
-- and trust me, there’s a lot of jobs out there that
will pay you to do things you and everybody else hates doing.
Say, licking envelopes, selling stuffed animals door-to-door,
or counting cans! Pick something that you’ve always wanted
to do, and see if they’ll let you get some experience.
You get to see if it’s something you’d enjoy, you
get to work on a cause or profession you’re interested
in, and you get to see how it works from the inside. If you’re
good at it, they’ll also be able to see it, and there’s
a good chance your volunteer gig can wind up a permanent job.
5. Send
out a questionnaire. Yes, this seems weird. But if you really
have no idea what you want to do next , then send out a question
to your best friends, people who know you better than you
know yourself. Ask them: "what do you see me doing in
the next five years?" Their responses may surprise you!
6. Temp. The upshot of temping is that you get to see a wide variety
of companies from the inside. The downside: you’re usually
viewing this from the copier or the receptionist’s desk.
However, it’s fairly decent money, especially with the
more skills you can say you know (typing all those papers
and using your computer are finally going to pay off), and
it’s very flexible (if you don’t feel like going
in Friday, say you’ve got a job interview.) One word
of advice: budget to get your own health insurance plan, if
possible. They’re used to high turnover, and their insurance
plans are usually not comparable to anything you’d get
from a permanent position.
7. Last
resort: serious inner work. You’ve tried volunteering,
you’ve tried researching, you’ve tried brainstorming.
Even your friends see you confused in five years! Chances
are, your career choice is not the only confusing issue in
your life. Now is the perfect time to try any form of soul-searching
that appeals to you. Try talking with a therapist, go on a
group-organized Vision Quest, or sign on with a spiritual
advisor for your particular belief system.
top
Back to Top Tips.
|
