The graduate blues

Is there life after....university? Yes, but not as we know it. Though it’s been two years since I graduated, the going hasn’t been easy. Weren’t we supposed to leave university then fall into a fulfilling, well-paid career?

Post-graduation presents infinite options. Some may say the world is your oyster, but they are probably not the ones drowning in a sea of information. It is likely to be the first time in your life when there is no clear path to follow, after years of fulfilling the expectation of the conventional education route: school to college, college to university.

This can be daunting, especially for people like me who have left university not knowing exactly what career to follow. I have lost count of the number of people asking me what I want to be, assuming everyone has a life plan in place. After all, at 23 I am still only young, and chances are I will have a few career changes in my lifetime. People often say focus on what you are good at, or what interests you the most, but I can’t seem to pin this down to just one thing. One minute I am clueless with absolutely no idea whatsoever, the next I find myself bombarded with so many ideas I don’t know which road to go down. And all the most appealing jobs are often the ones who don’t want to acknowledge your existence.

Like many other grads, I’m struggling with the classic Catch 22. Employers need you to have experience. How do you get any experience when nobody is willing to give you a job in the first place? The ‘E’ word now just makes me want to scream! As I can’t seem to secure myself a graduate job, despite my excellent academic record, I have now been working in a warehouse for four years. I could do the job in my sleep; there is just no mental challenge or stimulation there. I am fed up with having to justify myself to people as to why am still working in a low-paid, dead-end job, when I have a degree. Good jobs just don’t grow on trees.

Research has even suggested that I could in fact be worse off in this situation -being ‘under-employed’, as opposed to actually unemployed. I find it astonishing to learn that most employers under-value general work experience if you’re are in a job which is not relevant in the field you are applying for. I have acquired a number of skills from my current occupation which would be transferable to other jobs; for example, team work and communicating with others.

There is some hope; friends of mine have secured good graduate jobs – they are proof that perseverance can get you there in the end. And though my congratulations may be tinged slightly with envy, their success provides motivation not to give up.

So I know what I didn’t know at university: that obtaining a graduate job will not happen overnight. It can take a number of years for graduates to be in jobs where they can really fulfill their potential. You often have to be happy to start at the bottom, including non-graduate positions, and work your way up the career ladder. Those entering professions such as accountancy have to undergo years of further study and endure countless exams before acquiring a fully qualified status. I just hope that for my own sanity my break comes sooner, rather than later.

The thing is, I do not regret going to university. It was a thoroughly enjoyable three years of my life, where I made some very good friends. It was also the place which really developed key skills, taught me what I enjoyed and was good at, and enabled me to generate ideas for potential careers I might want to embark upon. I would choose that exact same path given the choice again. But is a degree a guaranteed way to success in life? Based on my experiences so far, I’d have to say no.

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