What to do after university

Once you’re out of that lecture hall, you get that the next step is to ‘become a responsible adult’, but how exactly are you supposed to achieve that? After all, they aren’t really giving out jobs at the graduation ceremony. The Mix talks you through the options for what to do after university.

Where do you live after university?

You’ve spent three years basking in glorious freedom – building a Jenga pile of rubbish on top of the bin rather than taking it out, banging the frying pan at 2am to wake up your housemates so they can sing High School Musical tunes with you, and basically just living your best life. Now… it’s the end of the world as you know it, a.k.a post-graduation life. So, what is there to do after university? Well, you either: 

• Move back in with your parents. Enjoy the cheap/no rent, but it doesn’t come without a cost. You’ll have to mourn your newly-found independence and possibly destroy all family relationships in the process. To try and avoid this, our advice article on living with your parents has some useful survival tips.
• Find somewhere to rent. The problem with this option is that we’re in the middle of a housing crisis. This essentially means that you’re at the mercy of the landlords, and they’re not exactly known for their kindness. So, to be safe we’d recommend that you check out our before you rent checklist. Plus, you should make sure you know your rights as a tenant before you sign a contract.

Finding jobs after graduation

Unless you’re really lucky, finding jobs after university can take a little time. Most grads don’t land appealing roles straight off the bat. You’ll probably have to really slog, slog and slog some more to get a career. So here’s some helpful for finding a job after graduation: 

• Do an internship. If you’re keen to get into a super-competitive industry, paying your dues with an internship or work experience comes with the territory. The good news is that internships are a great networking opportunity and a chance to find out if you really like an industry or not. Another bonus is that unpaid internships are actually illegal in a lot of cases, so you’ll still be able to support yourself. Read our article on internships to learn more about your rights.
• Check out some graduate schemes. Be warned that these can be pretty competitive. So to give yourself the best shot, you’ll probably spend a lot of time applying for jobs (take what you’re thinking and double it). But if you’re lucky enough to get on one, they usually offer a good entry point into a company. You can find out more about getting a graduate job in this article.
• Temping and agency work: Sign yourself up to a temping agency and let them find the work for you. Just make sure that they haven’t forgotten about you if the work-well starts to dry up. Check out our guide to temping and agency work here.

To help you finding jobs after graduation, check out our tips for job application forms here and our job interview tips here. We’d recommend starting by contacting as many organisations in your chosen field as you can to see if anyone has any openings.

Things to prepare for

You’re gonna have to start at the very bottom if you wanna get to the top. So here’s some things you should consider:

• Work your way up. Start with a first-rung-on-the-ladder job – you’ll feel like it’s beneath you, but we promise it’s worth it to get into a company/industry you love. Regardless, people who take this path tend to grow their skill sets along the way and become more employable as a result.
• Get a shit job, worry later. You know what? Loads of graduates do it. If you know it’s only temporary, and you’re using your free time to get to where you want to be, then it’ll do for the moment. Just be painfully aware that there’s always the danger that you’ll still be there in 10 years’ time, as a manager, wondering how you got there.
• Start your own business. Applying for jobs can be exhausting, so why not just create your own job, where you’re immediately promoted to Boss? Just remember that it’s not a path for the timid, and the odds of your business surviving definitely aren’t in your favour – but if you really believe in your business idea, it’s worth a shot. We’ll even give you a helping hand. See our advice on starting your own business here.
• Going freelance: If you wanna get stuck in to the working world but a 9 to 5 is your worst nightmare, then maybe freelancing is for you. Just a quick disclaimer: Although there’s plenty of scope to earn good money, it’s rarely the case that you will do so immediately. If you’re still interested, then two articles that might help are our networking tips and our guide to becoming self employed.

Options other than work after university

If you’re not sure what career path you would like to take yet, you absolutely don’t need to go into work right away. You can try: 

• A Masters degree. A lovely, smart, shiny Masters degree. These are useful if you wanna carry on your student existence, and put cool initials after your name. Hell, you’re only just getting started. How long do PHDs take? You can delay reality for years. But in all seriousness, our article on post graduate studies can help you weigh up if you’re doing one for the right reasons.
• Taking a gap year. Jump on a plane and get some miles between you and the world of work. Travel the world, meet new people, get in touch with different cultures and use social media to talk about your experiences. And whilst you’re doing all that, you can volunteer or teach English in a different country to help develop your skills and boost your CV. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, we’ve got an article on gap years to help you learn more.
• Digging a hole in the garden and hide in it forever. If this appeals – despite the fact you’ll probably get trench foot and have no life – it means you’re still feeling a bit lost about what to do next. So before you make any big decisions, read this article.
• Volunteering. If giving back sounds great but you’d rather not travel then there are plenty of volunteering stints right here in the UK. Check out our volunteering hub for more info.

Still struggling for ideas for what to do after university? Why not ask the friendly community on our discussion boards for some suggestions?