4 answers
John
Student
Midland, Texas
1
Question
Updated
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What is the biggest challenge most adults face right after graduating college, and how can I overcome or avoid it?
College is a huge step in life, and graduating is an accomplishment. How financially stable should you be? And should you also have a job lined up?
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4 answers
Ilan Marouani, Esq., LL.M.
Tax Attorney
27
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Ilan’s Answer
Hi John,
The biggest challenge would probably be getting to work.
It is kind of a two prong challenge:
1. The first one is to potentially find a job. This one might be hard as some people heavily focused on school and grades, that they totally skipped internships and gaining work experience, or they got into it a little late. The best way to avoid such a challenge, is to secure an internship in your summer of Junior year, or one during your Senior year of college, so that you may get an offer to join the firm/company you have interned at as a full time employee upon graduation.
Of course, this is not the only way to get a job, but it is one of the simplest ways to get a full time job post graduation.
2. The second challenge is to adapt to working. A lot of people got used to having one to two classes a day, maybe no classes at all on Fridays, making it a four day week, and three weekends days.
A lot of people struggle with a 9-5, which sometimes goes into a 9-6, or maybe an 8:30 -6.... five days a week. You got used to choosing your classes, making your own schedule, studying when you wanted to, partying or playing when you felt like it, chilling and relaxing.... but work doesn't provide such flexibility. You need to be at work, no going around it. A lot of people therefore feel trapped, like their lives now only revolve around work, that they have no time for anything else, and therefore feel suffocated by work.
I am not saying those feelings are not valid, but I think it is more of a perspective shift that needs to occur to adapt to the situation at hand. Yes, you have less time to chill, don't choose when to go home, or can go out until 4AM to a party, cause at 9AM you need to be in the office or laptop on from home.
The goal here should be to adapt to the new work schedule, spend a few weeks, maybe a month or so at your company, maybe put some projects on hold, and try to figure out the schedule you have. Maybe Tuesdays are slow, maybe no one really works on Fridays, maybe Wednesdays you need to stay in the office until 8PM. Whatever it is, try to have somewhat of a regular schedule from work, so that you can build your hobbies, your wants and needs around it. If you like to workout, can you do it in the middle of the day cause your work give you two hours lunch, or maybe you feel too tired after work to do it, so maybe you should shift it to working out before going to work.
Anything and everything can be done, as long as you prepare for it, and no challenge can be too complicated to deal with with preparation.
Good luck!!!
The biggest challenge would probably be getting to work.
It is kind of a two prong challenge:
1. The first one is to potentially find a job. This one might be hard as some people heavily focused on school and grades, that they totally skipped internships and gaining work experience, or they got into it a little late. The best way to avoid such a challenge, is to secure an internship in your summer of Junior year, or one during your Senior year of college, so that you may get an offer to join the firm/company you have interned at as a full time employee upon graduation.
Of course, this is not the only way to get a job, but it is one of the simplest ways to get a full time job post graduation.
2. The second challenge is to adapt to working. A lot of people got used to having one to two classes a day, maybe no classes at all on Fridays, making it a four day week, and three weekends days.
A lot of people struggle with a 9-5, which sometimes goes into a 9-6, or maybe an 8:30 -6.... five days a week. You got used to choosing your classes, making your own schedule, studying when you wanted to, partying or playing when you felt like it, chilling and relaxing.... but work doesn't provide such flexibility. You need to be at work, no going around it. A lot of people therefore feel trapped, like their lives now only revolve around work, that they have no time for anything else, and therefore feel suffocated by work.
I am not saying those feelings are not valid, but I think it is more of a perspective shift that needs to occur to adapt to the situation at hand. Yes, you have less time to chill, don't choose when to go home, or can go out until 4AM to a party, cause at 9AM you need to be in the office or laptop on from home.
The goal here should be to adapt to the new work schedule, spend a few weeks, maybe a month or so at your company, maybe put some projects on hold, and try to figure out the schedule you have. Maybe Tuesdays are slow, maybe no one really works on Fridays, maybe Wednesdays you need to stay in the office until 8PM. Whatever it is, try to have somewhat of a regular schedule from work, so that you can build your hobbies, your wants and needs around it. If you like to workout, can you do it in the middle of the day cause your work give you two hours lunch, or maybe you feel too tired after work to do it, so maybe you should shift it to working out before going to work.
Anything and everything can be done, as long as you prepare for it, and no challenge can be too complicated to deal with with preparation.
Good luck!!!
Thank you so much for your response and time, Mr. Iian! Your advice will definitely stick with me!
John
Liam Rielly
Data Center Technician
192
Answers
Manassas, Virginia
Updated
Liam’s Answer
I feel that the most challenging thing adults face after graduating is they base their value and self worth on their degree. I find people who have laser focused themselves on one topic or study find it difficult to change when there is money in another area. I think that people should embrace their careers and have a variety of jobs before really understanding what it is to be in the work force. Granted if you have a degree that gets you into a specific job and that is all you work your career, that's great! If you get the degree and there are two jobs, one in line with your degree and one in an outside field, the outside field happens to pay more, just go for it! Find the better job based on your needs and goals, not based on your degree.
Rae Powell
Collections specialist
5
Answers
Brighton, Michigan
Updated
Rae’s Answer
Hello!
One of the biggest challenges for all professionals right now is getting a job. The absolute best thing you can do to combat this difficulty is networking. Go to professional events where there will be people from companies you want to work for. Give them your card and take theirs and FOLLOW UP!!! Send an email thanking them for talking with you and make a good impression. Reach out when you apply to the company let them know.
This can be a game changer. Putting your name in their heads with that good impression is a big step towards getting a good job in your field!
Next, make sure your resume is good and you are reviewing it often. Your resume should reflect the job listing you're applying to, as they are often first reviewed by AI which is seeking specific key words. This means that batch sending 100 copies of the same resume will yield less positive results than tailoring your resume for a handful of positions.
One of the biggest challenges for all professionals right now is getting a job. The absolute best thing you can do to combat this difficulty is networking. Go to professional events where there will be people from companies you want to work for. Give them your card and take theirs and FOLLOW UP!!! Send an email thanking them for talking with you and make a good impression. Reach out when you apply to the company let them know.
This can be a game changer. Putting your name in their heads with that good impression is a big step towards getting a good job in your field!
Next, make sure your resume is good and you are reviewing it often. Your resume should reflect the job listing you're applying to, as they are often first reviewed by AI which is seeking specific key words. This means that batch sending 100 copies of the same resume will yield less positive results than tailoring your resume for a handful of positions.
Thank you, Rae, for responding to my question. I'll put your advice to good use, especially the AI keyword part.
John
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach, Mentor
1220
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi John,
It's great that you are already thinking about the next big step.
Towards the end of your undergraduate studies, you'll have to make decisions for you future. Depending on your major and career aspirations, you need to decide if you want to go to graduate school or enter the workforce. If graduate school is desired or required for your career, there are application deadlines and tests. If a job is where you want to go, there are job ads to find, companies to research and applications to write. This can be a full-time job. So far, so good. You are probably aware of all that.
Some things to keep in mind so they don't trip you up:
Getting a job can be expensive. You'll have to go to interviews, often several rounds of interviews. Some of your interviews might be out of state. Some might not be reimbursed or reimbursement might come much later. You'll also need some presentable interview clothes. If you are lucky enough to find a job, you'll have to move to a new location. You might also need a reliable car to get to your new job where as a student maybe you didn't need one. It's advisable to have some savings towards the end of studies so you can afford all of this.
In the current economy, you might find yourself in a situation where you don't have a job immediately lined up. It's a big let-down after the high of graduating. Try not to let this drag you down. Graduating college is still a massive accomplishment. It's not your fault that the economy is the pits, and many of your classmates will be in the same situation. If you don't have a job in your desired profession right out of college, try to have a Plan B that will pay the bills for a while even if it is a fast-food job.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
It's great that you are already thinking about the next big step.
Towards the end of your undergraduate studies, you'll have to make decisions for you future. Depending on your major and career aspirations, you need to decide if you want to go to graduate school or enter the workforce. If graduate school is desired or required for your career, there are application deadlines and tests. If a job is where you want to go, there are job ads to find, companies to research and applications to write. This can be a full-time job. So far, so good. You are probably aware of all that.
Some things to keep in mind so they don't trip you up:
Getting a job can be expensive. You'll have to go to interviews, often several rounds of interviews. Some of your interviews might be out of state. Some might not be reimbursed or reimbursement might come much later. You'll also need some presentable interview clothes. If you are lucky enough to find a job, you'll have to move to a new location. You might also need a reliable car to get to your new job where as a student maybe you didn't need one. It's advisable to have some savings towards the end of studies so you can afford all of this.
In the current economy, you might find yourself in a situation where you don't have a job immediately lined up. It's a big let-down after the high of graduating. Try not to let this drag you down. Graduating college is still a massive accomplishment. It's not your fault that the economy is the pits, and many of your classmates will be in the same situation. If you don't have a job in your desired profession right out of college, try to have a Plan B that will pay the bills for a while even if it is a fast-food job.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Thank you so much for replying and giving me your advice, M. Karin. I greatly appreciate your time.
John