Life After College: What to do After Graduation?

After all the hard work, commitment, studying, stress, and determination; you have finally graduated and your degree. Now it’s time for the big question you get asked constantly from everyone. What do you want to do after college? After college, students are at a point in their lives where they can take it in many different directions. People tend to try to have a job lined up right after school and go straight into working. However, many college graduates have other goals, experiences, and passions they want to achieve after finishing school. There are so many different options to take if you do not want to start your career just yet.

1. Take Time for Yourself

Since you completed college, it is time to recharge and take time for yourself. It is important to take time to yourself, relax, and gain mental stability. According to a LinkedIn article by Cate Lemmond, taking time to recharge allows you to invest in your physical and mental health to build a healthier, more sustainable future for yourself. During this relaxation period, you could binge watch your favorite tv series, read, spend time with family, etc. There are plenty of things to do that relax your mind and body.

2. Travel or Study Abroad

If you want to continue discovering yourself or the world, then I highly recommend traveling. Being in college doesn't give you the opportunity to travel a lot, especially with being busy and the cost of traveling is currently a lot of money. When planning a trip, you can have your own itinerary or use a travel website that has planned trips that do most of the planning for you. A website advertised most of the time is EF Ultimate Break/Tours, where they have more than 50 trips that are planned. Another option if you still want to study and travel, see if there are any opportunities to study abroad. Before going on a trip, it is important to save money, so you aren’t stressing about finances on the trip.

3. Graduate School

If you have the desire to continue learning and become an expert in your career, apply to graduate school. Some people go to graduate school, or they wait until it is needed for their career to move up in their career. Check to see if your school has any graduate programs or find them at other schools. It is very important to do research on what graduate program is best for your career endeavors.

4. Internship

If you are weighing your options, get a feel of the workforce, or want to get more experience, then consider getting an internship. Getting an internship allows you to gain more experience other than your education.

5. Volunteer

If you want to gain experience, be involved in your community, and make a difference, then I highly recommend volunteering. You can choose to volunteer in your community or volunteer abroad. There are plenty of websites that show you different volunteer opportunities near you or globally.

6. Explore New Interests or Hobbies

During school, most of the time you are focused on studying or extracurricular activities. Now being out of school, it is time to find a hobby that interests you or relaxes you. Some ideas could be working out, learning a new language, crocheting, dancing, hiking, gardening, etc. Having a hobby can improve your well-being and decrease your stress.

After graduating college, you are starting a new chapter in your life and have many options to choose from. It is important to choose what is best for you and what goals you want to obtain in your life. It’s okay not to know what to do next, but you should choose what is best for you.