For so many final year students, thoughts are on working hard on final projects, dissertations, independent studies etc, as you look forward to graduation. It is a very exciting albeit stressful time, as you strive to get everything done and handed in on time. But, there are a lot more things that you should be thinking about as well.

What are you going to do after graduation?

With the recession meaning that many companies are no longer offering graduate recruitment schemes, and employers not advertising as many jobs. Plus, the influx of the previous years graduates, it would be of no surprise if you were worried about what to do next.

It is easy to get yourself worked up, emotional and stressed out at a time when you should be putting all your efforts into doing as well as you possibly can in your degree.

There are several things that you can do for yourself emotionally, that will hopefully make things a little easier, should the inevitable occur, and you do not recieve that job offer as soon as graduation is over.

The first thing you should do is pretty obvious: speak to a Career Officer, and discuss your options. Ask what your degree qualifies you to do, in a bid to widen your job search meaning that there coud be more available workwise than you initially realised.

Consider getting some work experience, especially if this did not come as part of your Course. Everyone moans about how employers want experience, but “how can you get experience without experience in the first place?” Well, the answer is of course get some! Whilst you are still a student, is potentially the best time to be doing this, when you still have the slight comfort of a Student Loan to fall back on, because many work experience placements are unpaid.

Work experience is valuable, because it often allows you to try out various parts of your chosen industry without obligation, and you can really learn whether this is the right career path for you or not. Plus, it looks brilliant on your CV.

If you are struggling, not necessarily with the notion of not finding a job in your field, but more not knowing what you want to do at all, there are several options open to you; the first is obviously that trusting Career’s Officer, who can help you discover what interests you and what kinds of jobs your personality and degree qualify you for.

Another option is a Life Coach, of whom can help you to analyse what it is that you want out of your life.

It could also be worth your while to take up a temporary job, such as retail or bar work, whilst you look for something more permanent, in your chosen career path. But, don’t fall into the “comfort” trap, where you find that you are no longer looking for a job, because you have become too comfortable in a job that yes, is money, but no it is not making you happy. If you take up a temp job, make sure it stays that way, temp.

If you have enough money, after graduation is also a perfect opportunity to go travelling, because as soon as you settle into your career, it is likely that you won’t get another chance to do it. Not in a long time anyway.

Don’t be afraid to take a little time out either. There is nothing wrong with spending the summer chilling out. If you went straight from College into University, then you have been in education for atleast fifteen years of your life, and even you deserve a little break. Just, don’t allow your break to take over, in the sense that you never start looking for work.

Good luck.

For the mature student the choice of course will depend on where you might want to take your current career, or if you would like a change of career entirely. Enrolling on the right course can potentially set you on a new and exciting path in life. There is the problem of time constraint when enrolling on a full time course and so this has to be taken in to consideration. There are plenty of evening courses for the those people who work full time from those that are media related to more practical courses such as plumbing.

The following factors should also be taken in to consideration;

How long have you been out of education? There is no need to worry if you have been out of education for a long period of time, as many places do not require previous qualifications taking on board life experience as a positive factor instead.

You need to determine whether you need and/or want to take up a course that focuses on basic skills or something that will challenge you.

If it is a computer course that you want to take up you have to be aware of how fast technology changes. What you were once comfortable with might now be deemed too complicated.

If you are in full time employment you might be looking in to education as a means of gaining new skills to find a better job. In this case, a part time course might suit your needs. Think of part time courses as a way of easing back in to education. These are also popular with mature students who need to work around their kids and have little time for education.

Another factor to consider when choosing a college is the location . For practical reasons it would be best to choose a local college or university to cut out the expense and hassle of travel. If there is a job to consider there is no choice but to stay local.

If in doubt, your local college or university will be able to answer any burning questions.

Now over to you mature graduates….how did you go about picking your course? Do you think you made the right choice? What advice would YOU give future mature students when picking a course? Let us know!

COMING UP TOMORROW: Kat discusses what to do after graduation, when that job doesn’t come soon enough!

Choosing a degree is potentially one of the biggest decisions that you will make in your life, because whatever choice you make now, will effect what happens to you after graduation, whether you like it or not.

But, there is one most important thing to remember, before tackling the task of deciding what it is that you want to study for the next three/four years of your life. And that is that this decision must be yours alone. It must be what you want, not what your parents want, or your friends, or even your teachers. Of course, it’s good to seek advice from the people that you love and trust, but as well meaning as they might think they are being, sometimes their own wants can taint their opinions of what they think is (and what is) right for you.

The first thing to take into consideration is what subjects you honestly enjoy. It is well-proven that we perform much better in subjects that we enjoy, mainly because we are willing to put more effort into activities that we are interested in. But you also have to think, do you enjoy it enough to want to study it for three/four years?

Another important factor to look at is your own personality:

1. Do you want to study a subject that you know will get you a well-paid job straight after graduation, or are you happy to work your way up from the bottom, potentially never earning that much money throughout your full career. You must think about how important money is to you.

On a scale of one to ten (ten being the highest) how important is money to? How does this affect your choice? Is the course going to earn you money straight away? How does this make you feel?

2. How good are you with people? Are you chatty and confident with complete strangers, or does the idea of talking to someone you have never met send you into a state of panic?

Again, rate your people skills on a scale or one to ten (ten being confident, one being painfully shy). How does this affect your choice? Will your course lead to a job where you will be faced with people everyday? How does this make you feel? Do you think you could handle it? Be honest with yourself.

3. How are you at working completely on your own? Do you relish the idea of working at your own pace on your own projects? Or do you love the idea of working in a big team with lots of others throwing ideas around?

Rate yourself on a scale of one to ten (ten being you love isolation, and one being you prefer a team). Consider this, and think about how your course of choices fit this personality trait.

It is also good to remember, that just because you have made a choice, does not mean that you have to stick with it. We are all entitled to change our minds when we feel that we have made a mistake. It takes a very strong-minded person to admit that they have made a bad choice. So, even after you have chosen a course, if it does not feel right to you, and you are not happy, do not be afraid to talk to someone and seriously consider re-analysing what it is that you want to do. No one will think badly of you.

Happy hunting and I hope you have the best years of your life doing something you enjoy.

Now over to you graduates….how did you go about picking your course? Do you think you made the right choice? What advice would YOU give future students when picking a course? Let us know!

COMING UP TOMORROW: Chris discusses how mature student could go about choosing the best course for them.

See you tomorrow.

It doesn’t matter how old (or young) you are, if you are thinking about going into Higher Education, this is going to be a great place to get advice and tips on various things.

Unlike so many people claim, I do not know everything, so will hopefully be recruiting a group of graduates to cover any ground that I am not wise about.

We want to help make sure that you pick the right course for you and your future, at the right University or College that fits your needs. So, if you have any questions for a graduate about going off to College or University, then we are more than happy to try and help. Unlike so many organisations, we’re not getting paid to sell any kind of courses, or institutes, so we can guarantee that all advice will neutral and centred around you.

We welcome any feedback, so if you think something is not working (or subsuquently it is) then please let us know, or perhaps you think we should be talking about something that has not been covered, then drop us a line. We are here to help you, so we rely on your thoughts.

Happy reading

Kat