Jeremy Kaplan
Deciding which career path to take when you graduate can be a tricky business; we’ve put together five things for you to consider while you’re making your mind up:
- Your priorities
Consider your priorities. Is it more important for you to give back to society or to make money? Do you want to do something that makes a difference to society or do you simply want to enjoy yourself? Of course, all of these things are not mutually exclusive, but having a long hard think about what’s important to you, may help you to understand what you want to do moving forward and what your next career step should be.
- Your passion
Hand-in-hand with your priorities, think about your passion. Do you have a hobby or a pastime that you love to do and that you could potentially turn into a way of life? Conversely, is it simply that you have a pastime that you hold dear and you want to find a job or career that fits in around it. Perhaps your experience of studying has inspired you to teach other young minds, and you’re looking for teaching jobs in Oxfordshire, then contact your local teaching recruitment agency to take your first step into a career in a school.
- Transferable skills
Think about the skills you’ve developed over the last few years and consider what industries or roles they might be transferable to. Some courses will have an obvious link to industry, but others less so, so think outside the box and look at the skills you’ve developed outside of the lecture room too. Are you a good communicator or particularly empathetic? Have you applied your organisational skills to running a student society or developed your language skills while travelling? All of the skills you’ve acquired inside and outside of University could help inform your next steps on the career ladder.
- Building your experience
If you have the time and financial freedom, then look into doing some work experience, voluntary work or an internship in your chosen field. Such work experience will give you an insight into your chosen industry and help you discover if it’s the right career path for you. In addition, having even a modicum of relevant industry experience can help you to have the upper hand when it comes to recruitment for a permanent position. Conversely, if you discover the industry’s not for you, then at least you’ve learnt that sooner rather than later, and you can move on to your next career with some valuable experience under your belt.
- Seek advice
If you’re not sure which path to take or you have an idea, but you’re not sure how best to pursue it, then book an appointment with a careers adviser. Also, consider taking a personality and aptitude test to find out where your strengths lie, the results may open up new possibilities to you and give you a new perspective on your potential career.
So there you have a few things to consider when you’re deciding on the career path to take after you graduate. We hope our guide has given you some useful food for thought when you’re making your mind up over the next step in your career.
