How to transition from college to a career


If you’re getting closer and closer to your college graduation, there’s a high chance you’re currently having a bit of a freak-out. Don’t worry; we’ve all done it. Graduating from college and becoming an official “adult” is one of the scariest things you will ever have to do. You’re basically thrown into the deep end of a boiling pool of lava, and all you have to help you is an enraged hippo who isn’t too happy that you stole its food. Yeah, it’s bad. However, you can make it easier for yourself, because it’s all about preparing yourself and getting yourself ready for that transition from college to career…

Schedule your life in advance

Although college students are notorious for being late and never turning up anywhere on time, it’s important that you start scheduling your life in advance when you finish college. You no longer have someone telling you which lecture you need to be in and at what time each week, and it’s expected that you go out and party in the evenings with all of your college pals. However, things are different in the real world, and it’s difficult to juggle your 40+ hour working life with your social life. To make things easier for you, it might be an idea to start planning social events with your friends a few weeks in advance. This way, you won’t have to cancel at the last minute when you realize that you’ve double-booked yourself.

Try to be a little more professional

College is great, right? You have nobody to answer to, and it’s the time to experiment and have the time of your life. It’s a ball. While none of us want to say goodbye to that lifestyle, no employer will take you under their wing if you turn up with a raging hangover and smelling of last night’s mistakes. To make it in the “adult” world you need to try and be a little more professional – even if it’s only a tiny bit. You need to take more responsibility for your own actions and realize that the world doesn’t owe you anything. You need to make this new life for yourself, and the first step is accepting that that’s the case.

Be prepared for the worst

From a young age, we’ve been taught to believe in this impressive life where we go to college, come out with a degree, and then find the dream job as soon as we take off our mortarboards. We hate to burst your bubble, but life isn’t like that. Most graduates struggle to find the job they want straight out of college and have to work in another field just to pay the bills for a while. It’s important that you never give up with this search – although it can be easy to throw in the towel. If you do find yourself in a job you don’t like, keep in mind where you want to be and don’t stop until you’ve got that.

Leave your entitlement at the door

Another problem college graduates face is this sense of entitlement. Because we have all been taught that a college degree will get us somewhere, we believe that we will be handed this dream job on a plate. We feel entitled. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work like that, and you need to leave this entitlement at the door. Most college graduates will find themselves in entry-level jobs where they will have to grab the coffee and do paperwork for a while. Yet, once you prove that you have the skills to work your way up, you will then be given those opportunities. Although it can be easy to leave these coffee runs behind because you’re worth more, it will pay off in the end. Trust us.
If you’re looking to make your first debut into the real world, you might want to read these tips, because college is pretty darn different to your career…

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