Graduating has always been about more than flinging a cap and picking up a scroll. When I finished my master’s degree in January, it felt like the first time in years that I had to – was able to – stand back and take stock. What did I want to do? Where did I want to go? For many, it’s the first time in your life that you’re properly in the driving seat, and (pans, duvets and a plant-sale cactus aside) without any real baggage.
But many graduates’ horizons have changed. Facing up to spiralling rents and costs of living, higher debt and an unwelcoming job market, we’re tackling a different set of challenges to those of our parents or even older siblings.
The so-called graduation slump – the period of moving back into your childhood bedroom to sift through endless pages of job sites – is a common experience. More graduates than ever are finding themselves in jobs they’re highly overqualified for. So here’s what recent graduates would advise those approaching the cliff-edge this summer.
Status isn’t everything
Two truisms you’ll hear at career fairs are “don’t be too picky” and “get applying, fast”. But sociology graduate Sophie Clarke*, who graduated earlier this year, warns against rushing. Clarke had a trial shift proofreading at a communications agency. It quickly became apparent that the agency “specialised in polishing the image of unethical multinationals and financial institutions. It was a job listed by my careers department as a great opportunity for someone like me, yet fundamentally undermined my principles.”
She thinks graduates should be told more often that taking some time to breathe after finishing university, if possible, is fine. “I know of hardly anyone who dived straight into the mad scramble for high-status jobs who is happy and got exactly what they wanted.”
Moving home isn’t forever
For some, returning home can feel like a step back, while for others it’s a chance to regroup and reconnect with pre-university life. Chemistry graduate Joe Simpson, 22, moved back home after graduating and says it gave him time to reflecton what he wanted next – which, he says, wasn’t anything to do with his degree. “I realised the shared experience and journey of secondary school had faded for me,” he adds. “Friends and even family are pursing their own separate paths, so it’s always going to be a shock to the system.”
Be aware of impostor syndrome
Many of my graduate friends reported some existential angst when searching for jobs, with every role you consider posing questions of who you are and who you want to be. This self-examination can be draining. It’s also easy to succumb to impostor syndrome – the sense that you’re a fraud or a fake, or that you’re taking a place from someone else who is more deserving. Then come the blunt rejections from employers disinclined to provide any feedback.
Clarke learned to open up to the right people about how you’re feeling. “You’re turning a refined critical gaze inward – a heightened sensitivity to your environment can often lead to internal monologues and invasive thoughts questioning your place in it.”
Don’t compare yourself to anyone
After graduating I decided to take some time to concentrate on writing whatever I felt like, while others started new qualifications and careers. It could be that a job you’re supposedly overqualified for is exactly what you need. “At the end of the day, you’re the only person that has to live with the consequences of your decisions,” says Simpson. “University humbles you in a way, as you come to realise there’s always someone smarter quicker and faster than you. But fulfilment is only going to come from within.” Clarke’s advice is to cut yourself some slack. “Take some time to figure out how you feel you would best apply your education in the world. Look for work in less-expected places and know that it might be a more circuitous path which gets you where you need to be.”
*Identifying information changed at interviewee’s request