Noël Rozny is the web editor and content manager for myFootpath, a career and education resource for students of all ages. She writes and edits the site’s career and education blog, myPathfinder by day, and works on her personal blog by night. In addition to her love for blogging, Twitter, and all things social media, Noel is a rabid University of Michigan fan and full-time yoga aficionado. You can find her on Twitter @myfootpath or @noelrozny.
With all these questions running through your mind, you may not know where to start. That’s why I’m going to share some secrets with you that I wish someone had told me when I graduated from college, which will hopefully ease your anxiety and help you set out on the path that’s right for you.
Secret #1: Your Grades Really Don’t Matter
While you were in college, you probably put a lot of pressure on yourself to do well in school. And while being successful in college does translate into skills you can use in the real world (like the ability to write well, research, and adhere to deadlines), at the end of the day your grades don’t really matter. Most employers will skip right over your grade point (if you even have it on your resume) as they search for your relevant work experience. So if you don’t have any yet, start looking for an entry-level job or internship, which will mean a lot more to a future employer than the A you got on your final physics paper.
Your First Job Does Not Make or Break You
When I was in college, I had this overwhelming feel that if I didn’t find the perfect job the second I graduate, I was doomed. My resume would be shot, no one would want to hire me, and I’d be stuck in the same dead-end job until I was 90.
Rest assured, college graduates, this is not the case. You don’t even have to know what you want to do when you graduate from college. Yes, it is optimal to have an idea of what industry or career you want to pursue, but the main thing is to get a job, any job, that can help you start building your network, your skill set, and your work experience. People change jobs and even careers fairly frequently these days—it’s almost expected. And the great thing about working in several different jobs is that it gives you time to try on different options and see which one fits best for you.
Graduate School is Not the Be All, End All
For a very long time, getting a graduate degree in business, law, or any other subject was the key to the kingdom. Graduate students typically enjoyed easy job placement, generous starting salaries, and continuous job growth. So if you didn’t know what else you wanted to do with your life, chances are you ended up in graduate school, and things sort of worked themselves out.
Nowadays graduate school is more expensive and the job market isn’t as certain. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider graduate school, as it’s still proven to help you gain promotions and earn larger salaries. However, you just shouldn’t choose it as a default if you’re not sure what you want to do next, especially if you don’t have an idea of what career you want to pursue. It’s just too expensive to enroll in a graduate program that you’re not 100% enthusiastic about. Working for a few years can be a great way to get a feel for different career options, and from there you can select the graduate program that’s going to be right for you.
You Should Enjoy This Time
You might be feeling slightly stressed or nervous about graduating from college, with good reason. Taking those first steps out into the working world can be scary. But as you focus on finding a job, starting an internship, or relocating, don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. Right now the world is full of opportunities for you: since you (probably) don’t own property, you can pick up and pursue a job opportunity in another state, start your own company, teach English in a foreign country, or join the Peace Corps. There are relatively few times in your life that you’ll have this much freedom and accessibility, so enjoy every second of it.
I agree. I’ve been “recently graduated” for a year now and I have to remind myself that there isn’t a deadline. I’m not going to grad school so there’s no pressure to fit everything in all at once. I have my whole life, but sometimes I find myself wanting to be in the thicket of it already. The thicket of my career, of my life! But I have to keep in mind that I’m just starting out and I have to try and enjoy the process of the Beginning, versus trying to rush to the Middle.
Great post. I especially like the tip about enjoying college. Four years really is not a long time!
One comment: #1 about grades is only true for some paths.
For students who ARE looking at graduate school, or who decide later on it’s what they want to do, grades are very important (especially when it comes to getting funding). It seems that for students who aren’t sure what they want to do, there’s no reason to decide that grades aren’t important, because they could end up being helpful for certain paths.
I’ve also found that good grades are required for many research opportunities, which can lead to other things down the line.
Also, getting good grades (and real learning that should go with it) helped me form relationships with professors, who greatly expanded my networking.
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