WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD | Five things to do after graduating from college
It’s graduation season again and everyone is excited to walk on to the stage to receive
their hard-earned college diploma. No matter how long it took us to get there, everything is surely worth waiting for. Besides, it’s the culmination of our 15-year-long academic journey, so it definitely calls for a celebration. However, have you already given much thought about your plans after graduation? Do you know what to do or where to go after this?
1. Take a week-long vacation
Surely, you deserve it! Take this as reward to yourself for a job well done. Not all people have the luxury of time to pamper themselves. Nowadays, there are vacation spots where you don’t need to spend a lot just to have fun. Plan your vacation trips with your friends.
The more people, the merrier! And of course, everything becomes cheaper. Remember those sleepless nights trying to finish your thesis and research papers and cramming for the finals? Now is time for you to earn the fruits of your labor.
2. Apply for a job right away
I remember during my graduation ceremonies at PICC when I excused myself to take a leak. There, I heard a group of parents chatting outside the lavatory saying how thankful they are that their children have already graduated from college. There was this one particular sentence that hit me, “Sa wakas makakatulong na rin siya sa mga bayarin sa bahay” (“Finally, he can help us with the household expenses“).
Parents will not directly tell you to help them finance the education of your brothers and sisters or ask you to help them pay the bills at home, but they expect you to do so. So, don’t procrastinate and look for a job as soon as you can.
The real life begins after graduating from college. Some are lucky enough to land their dream jobs or at least have jobs that are related to their degree. To make things worse, some couldn’t even land a job because they are too picky or for many other reasons. Whatever happens, don’t stop looking for a job. You think you cannot do the job? It’s okay. You will learn eventually. The job experience is what matters most for your next job hunt.
3. Avoid happy hours (for now)
You just graduated from college, so basically you don’t have the luxury yet to spend for such things. Now that you are already a graduate and officially an adult, you don’t have the right to ask money from your parents anymore to go to bars and get drunk.
It’s time to grow up and be responsible. Gone are the days when you used school projects as excuse to extort money from your parents. Truth be told, you’ll perhaps be more inclined to save money now that you’re the one working hard for it.
4. Take care of your health
Most companies now require medical examination for their applicants because once you get hired, your health insurance will be shouldered by them. Having healthier employees means less risk of giving paid leave and medical compensation. Besides, we are not getting any younger. Sooner or later, your inconsideration to your health will catch up to you at the expense of your career.
5. Cut the connection with the wrong people
College is the best place to get acquainted with different types of people. It’s also the best time to start classifying people and decide who to retain among your circles. After college, cut your connection with the wrong people. These are the people who constantly ask you to do their projects and home works, borrow money without paying, and obviously inconsiderate about their studies. Don’t take this to mean that need to turn them into your enemies or something like that. Just be cautious enough with these kind people because they will drag you down in the future.
6. Enroll to a graduate school (optional)
While you are still young and eager to learn, unmarried and no children, don’t waste your time working your ass out when you know that sooner or later, you’re going to go to a graduate school especially if you have the means. Besides, a young adult with a master’s degree has better chances of landing higher-paying jobs.
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thanks for the tips! it was a good list to do after grad… keep it up,
Thank you Nixon.