Graduated College? Now What?

 

Now What?

A prose poem by moi ;)

 

You’ve counted down the days until graduation on your planner. Now that it is here, you wonder if it’s all just a dream. You sit in a daze amongst other graduates, proudly wearing your black and orange gown. 
 

Fast forward 7 hours later when all the exciting partying with family and friends comes to an end. Now what?
 

Do you extend the fun by taking a vacation to Brazil? You imagine all the colorful and breathtaking scenes and exotic wildlife you have come to love thanks to Rio. You might even see a rare blue macaw!
 

Do you continue searching for a job, like a predator hunting its prey? After all, you did just go through what felt like centuries of studying and completing assignments to be financially independent.  
 

There is the option of going back to school as some have suggested. Scratch that! A minor earthquake in your head starts to form just at the thought of more sleepless nights.
 

You consider all your options as you get into your pajamas and head to the bathroom. As you brush and floss your teeth, you come to a temporary solution.
 

“I’ll worry about this in the morning!”
 

I did it. I graduated college Alhamdulillah (praise Allah)!!!! Four long years of college has finally come to an end. Obviously relaxing and taking care of yourself a bit more is necessary, but what should one do afterwards? If you are like me and currently looking for a job to put your college degree to use, here are a few tips on how to be productive in your job search/ post graduation. I hope this helps and if you have any other suggestions for post graduates, please leave them in the comments below!

Resume
If you haven't already, create a document with your contact info. and important information about your college education and achievements. Examples of resumes can be found online for an idea on the template or what to include in your resume. Once you have this all typed up and checked by a few people, print out a few copies and mail them out. Also, email them if that is an option since it can save you time and energy. While you wait for a response, you can do any of the tips below :)

Make a portfolio
I had to make a portfolio for my education major and I'm glad I actually put the time and energy into it. If you haven't already created one, I suggest you gather important information about yourself such as a resume, final transcript, scores/ certificates, letters/invitations, examples of your work depending on your major, etc. Anything college related and that will make you look good :) Put all these into page protectors in a binder and you have something all in one place to take to interviews to hopefully impress your future employer!

Advertise yourself
Whether it is word of mouth or creating flyers, make it known to as many people as possible who care to help you that you graduated college and are looking for employment. Since I am an elementary education major (and English writing), I could tutor students for the rest of the school year and summer. So, I created a flyer with my service and contact information that I will take to some schools and with permission ask if it can be put it up so parents and students can see it.

Learn/ sharpen your skills
If you know your job of interest requires certain skills, such as working with programs on the computer, learn as much as possible or sharpen your skills even further. You could also volunteer at a place that would provide you with opportunities to learn. For example, I could volunteer at a school to get more familiar with working well with children. Volunteering might be good idea to get a foot in the door to a job at that location!