What did you do immediately after graduating?

[Tryingtoslim]

So I’m in my final year of uni and at a loss at what to do next year once I’ve finished. I am early 20s so fairly young but would love to hear from everyone

What are you studying? Do you want to continue with the area? I completed a degree 10 years ago similar age to you, took on a part time job while I was studying, completely unrelated to my degree, and have just completed another degree related to the part time job

Got a job and started paying a pension - very boring, but 22 years later I am glad I did.

I had a short holiday then moved home and paid off my overdraft in three months. I then applied for jobs. A couple of years later I did a voluntary year abroad with Restless Development. A lot of people I know did teaching in Japan (JET) or Tefal for 1 or 2 years.

I am an old gimmer but have kids your age.

DS1, graduated and had plans for a masters that fell through at the last minute. Looked for a grad scheme job without much success, lived at home and temped and saved until Christmas. Broke up with girlfriend. Was very much the chicken of depression.

Went off to Thailand for four months. Came home, temped for a month, got boring entry level civil service job. Did this job for a year then got a promotion and moved to London. One year on has another promotion and enjoying life in London very much.

DD1, graduated, did summer camp in America, travelled around Mexico for a month. Came home did boring office job for a six months then jacked it in, went back to do summer camp again then travelled around Canada for a month. Came home, temped and is now doing quite decent office job. Planning to do primary PGCE in September.

Lots of their friends also seem to have taken a little while after graduating to find their path.

Went back and did a post grad! Probably for all the wrong reasons, i.e I had no idea what direction to take! Made it to the end, and a graduate job with a major bank came along so I took it. Never would have guessed I'd have gone down that route as my degree is in a completely different field.

Went on a 2 week holiday with friends then came back and started work full time. Bought a house 18 months later.

Did part postgrad while working but didn’t start that until 3 years after graduating as wanted a break from studying first.

I fucked off from all kinds of brain work (my dissertation almost killed me) and went and worked at Butlins for the season... was fabulous and just what I needed!

I had my last exam at university one day and started work the next day. Was a temporary contract, back in the days when temporary staff weren't entitled to holidays, so I had to take a day off 'sick' to attend my graduation, and I spent about nine more months working with no days off. At the time it never even occurred to me that it was unfair, I was just delighted to be earning money.

Graduated 3 years ago from entertainment management (I studied music performance and business in college and nothing else) stayed in the city i’m living is as there was no point moving back home. Carried on working in the real alebar I had throughout studies, worked for a graphics company as I had sign writing experience from working for my stepdad.

They treated me like shit and after the trial period made out I had no clue (I was training the owner on certain machines, bearing in mind he had over 40 years experience). Found out that everyone who worked there left after that, they treated everyone like shit.

After that, went back to the pub as I needed to pay my half as partner couldn’t support us both for long. Ended up working part time in the offices for the company he is working for.

2 years later, I have developed a webshop to sell stainless steel fitting and brewing tanks (we supply and install brew houses for breweries all over, Heineken etc.... and I’m now a manager of a webshop, stock and sales. Completely different to what I went to uni to do, but absolutely loving it and really proud of what I’ve achieved in a few years since graduating.

Do what you feel is best for you, it’s all confusing and for me ridiculously stressful but I’m now about to get my first mortgage with a partner, trying for a baby and have a great manager position for a great company!

Good luck to you, and trust me, final year will pass before you know it. Felt like I blinked and the year was over!

Got a job in a department store just to pay bills while applying for a job in my field. Got one after six months but got pretty depressed looking. Perseverance paid off.

Joined the cruise ships and sailed the world for 2.5 years before coming back home and beginning my career and family

I started working in my field at assistant level the same week I graduated. I had tried to apply for graduate schemes before that but was unsuccessful.

Looking back I wish I'd taken a year out to travel. Maybe to europe/north america/south america.

I still wish I'd travelled and I dream of moving abroad but I'm too tied down for the time being.

Went on a holiday to Amsterdam with univ mates for a few days, it was great. Carefree, no stress and fun times.

Came back to land a grad job, holiday and was busy doing a competing in a sport I was into at the time. This was all 25 years ago!

I moved in with my wanker boyfriend, with the belief I was too stupid to manage anything except domesticity.

A few months later I was accepted onto a Masters at Oxford, and I never looked back - did my PhD straight after, then taught at Cambridge, and now I'm a researcher at Trinity Dublin. I love it.

My advice would be to take your time figuring out what you want to do, but also to recognise that you may do something that is a disastrous mistake - and that's ok! You can come back from it and find your way forwards again.

Set up a cmic review that toured for the summer season then went to study in Paris. Post-graduation is the time when you can try out your dreams for a year or two before taking on all the responsibilities of adulthood.

After 1st graduation- took a year and half off and travelled the world.

After 2nd graduation- got a job.

Office temping.

I have birth three weeks later had a year out, then went back and did a master's. I graduated that with a week old babe in arms... (Not helpful to you, I know!)

Moved back to my parent's house (never intended to be permanent), was walked down to the dole office by my dad (well acquainted with it, he left me in the queue, the git - love him, in case you think otherwise), fannied round for two weeks, decided I didn;t like smoking on the doorstep, so went to stay with a mate who had a flat in uni town, within two days, had a job in a bookshop, and a cheap (shit, but we all did it up) house with some other uni mates. Never looked back.

I went interailing on my own for five weeks. Loved it. Then came back and started my first job.

Moved back to my parents house.

Immediately, I went to NYC with a friend and had a raucous girls holiday . I’d lined up a one month internship for when I came back, which resulted in a short contract and eventually full time employment.

Dithered about whether to go postgrad or not, decided not to and went home to mum for a lovely lazy summer with a bit of travel. Then I got a job in October when the money ran out - had to pay mum rent after all!

BSc graduation - MSc
MSc graduation - got a fixed term job; went travelling; another fixed term contract; started PhD.
PhD graduation - got a job

I started half-heartedly looking for a job, and began temping as soon as my money ran out - I got a permanent job after 10 months (early 1990s).

Got a job.

Applied for graduate schemes in September / October the year before. Knew by Christmas before graduating where I would be working come the next September.

I think that time scale is fairly common.