Dealing with post graduate life👩🏻‍🎓

I wanted to be honest today about what life is like after university. To be honest I’ve struggled with it a little, and I don’t think I’m the only one in this position. You work hard for 3 years, and have all these dreams and ambitions. You finish uni on a complete high and feel like the worlds at your feet…but in all honesty, nothing prepares you for what’s to come.

This failure comes in all shapes and sizes, from weeks of job declines to consistent mistakes at new jobs. Not only do you deal with this, you also deal with the pressures to find your dream job straight away. “Have you got a job yet?”, “Are you a psychologist yet?”, “Are you earning more money now?”, “Why aren’t you doing a masters”. And when it comes down to it, you question which career you even want to go into.🤍

After 16 years of being in education you’re on your own for the first time, no class mates, no teachers, just you and the big wide world. You don’t get lessons at school on how to deal with tax, saving for a mortgage, job searching and adjusting to the 9-5 life. Instead you have to fail and slowly learn from your mistakes, and that can be hard.

Anyway…with all this in mind, I wanted to give a few tips to anyone else struggling about how to deal with this crazy and confusing post grad life.🙌🏻

1). Remember that no one knows what they’re doing– You’re not the only one who didn’t get a book about life, no one else did either. In fact, most people are winging it, whatever the age or profession. It’s also true that people at the age of 60 still don’t know what career they want, but that’s the beauty of life, there’s always another path to take. Who wants it all planned out anyway?

2). Take your time– I cannot stress this enough. Please don’t rush the next chapter of your life. Take time to celebrate, take time to really think about what you want to do next and take time with the whole process of applying for jobs. Remember to take the pressure off yourself, the right job will come along eventually. Don’t compare your journey to those around you, because it’s going to be a completely different story to theirs.

3). Write down all your attributes– Being rejected from jobs and worrying about the future isn’t always great for your confidence. But the important thing is that you know how amazing you are and that any job would be lucky to have you. To remember what you can bring to a job, write down all your talents, good attributes and things you like about yourself. This is always a good confidence booster and it reminds of things you can talk about in an interview, big yourself up!

4). Try every avenue- You never know what’s out there unless you really search. Think of all the options, apply to all job sites, use apps like LinkedIn, create a network and don’t be afraid to get into contact with different people. Be open to it all. There’s probably a dream job role out there that you didn’t even know existed!

5). Have a good support network around you- Getting used to this new chapter in your life can be hard, so make sure you have support around you. Meet up with friends and seek advise and support from your family/ loved ones. In the tough times it always becomes clear who really matters in your life. Don’t do this all alone.

6). Volunteer– Remember you can try things first, with no strings attached. Volunteer in different roles and see what you like.

7). Take risks- Life’s too short to regret. If you want to start your own business, do it now! If things don’t work out, just learn from your mistakes and try again. You will never regret trying.🤍

8). Have fun– PLEASE remember to have fun and enjoy this part of your journey. You’re so young and won’t get this time back so go out, spend time with friends and family and make memories. Work hard, but remember to play hard too!🤍

I just want you who is reading to know that everything will be okay, things always work out in the end. Keep dreaming, one day you will look back and remember this chapter of life fondly. Keep being you and keep smashing life!🥰