One of the scariest times in your life will probably be after you’ve left education for the last time – it certainly is for me; but life after university doesn’t have to be so terrifying. Chances are, you’ll be moving back home and looking for a full-time job. You’ll miss you friends, your freedom and probably your sense of direction. You may feel lost, but you don’t have to be; here are my tips for why life after university isn’t so scary, after all. And I will certainly be trying to follow them.
The most obvious reason for why life after university isn’t so bad. If you’re going into full-time work, you’re going to have a lot more earning potential than you did working behind the student bar every Wednesday and Friday. You could start saving for the things you really want now: a house, a car, a holiday... whatever you want.
For most people, one of the hardest things about leaving for university is leaving their families and friends behind. Not permanently, but it’s still a radical change. Once you’re back home, you’ll have more free time to spend with your family, and a chance to reconnect with your old friends. You’ll soon realise how much you’ve missed them.
This is one of my less noble reasons – okay, so you’re officially an adult; but the time where you’ve moved back home and you’re trying to get on your feet is the time when you can be treated like a kid again. Did you get dinner cooked for you and your washing done by your mum whilst you were at university?
So, unless you’re one of those people who have always known what they wanted to do with their lives (I envy you!), you may be feeling scared at the prospect of what’s coming next. Try not to think of it as frightening, but as an endless list of possibilities. A career fast-track? Discovering an interest in a industry that wasn’t even on your radar before? Travelling the world? Post-grad study? It’s up to you to decide.
Did you ever find yourself aimlessly wandering around campus, or cooking about ten meals a day whilst you were at university? I did, because I had a lot of spare time and it was up to me to define my working hours. Now, you have a clear structure – and the time you do have off will feel special, well-earned and probably very busy.
Similarly, with a defined routine, you’ll know when your free time is and how you want to spend it. And because your free time is more precious, you may want to spend it doing something more productive. With today’s tough working climate, lots of people take a second job or embrace a hobby doing something they really love, like DJ-ing, writing, baking or something artsy. The world is your oyster.
Whenever you feel sad that your university life is over, think about what a truly great experience it was – all the highs and the lows. Then think how short a time it was, and how much time you have ahead of you – and how many wonderful experiences you have left to come.
Life has to change; if it didn’t, you would get bored, no matter how much you enjoyed yourself at the time. What makes the difference is how you view the change! I’m still learning – does anyone have any other tips? What are your own experiences?