Post-University Pressure

So, what are you going to do after university?

The question that everybody asks. Your parents ask you when you go home for the weekend; your friends ask you when you catch up over coffee; and your relatives, who don't know much about you except that you are a student, ask you at the family gatherings.

For some people the answer is easy. Many students apply to university with a specific career path in mind and are certain on becoming a nurse, a teacher, or a doctor, but the reality is that a lot of people arrive and leave university without knowing what they want to do next.

My personal choice to go to university was down to the fact that I was passionate about English Literature and I wanted to continue to learn. When I applied, I did not have a particular job in mind, I just knew that I enjoyed the subject. This explanation may seem simple, however, when discussing this with others, mainly older family members, some found it difficult to understand that I did not go to university solely to grab a career at the end, but because I was passionate about the things I would learn. Of course, this mindset is very normal among the older generation, as attending university was not as common as it is in this day and age and so to go there without a specific plan for the future would seem bizarre.

 I had come to terms with the high possibility that  I would be unemployed after university or that I would have to work a job that I didn't enjoy or one that wasn't relevant to my course of study. However, again, when explaining this, a lot of people would respond with something similar to "what's the point in doing a degree then?" or "you need to have a plan!". 

Of course I wanted a job after my degree, but I just wasn't sure on what exactly it was that I wanted, and I am still unsure. As I entered my third year, I felt an immense pressure to make a decision on what my 'next step' would be and I found myself feeling anxious about my future and envious of those who appeared to have a plan. I had a meeting with my university Careers Advisor, but I was still undecided, and as the end of term drew closer I began to panic. My friends were preparing for their following PGCEs and SCITT courses and I felt completely lost and directionless! The thought of not having any structure or  definitive plan was completely terrifying to me.

From the moment we enter primary school, we are praised for our academic achievements and encouraged to continue our education, but nobody prepares you for the life beyond the classroom. We become conditioned to value ourselves through our grades and define our future potential by our academic performance. As children and young adults, it is constantly reinforced to us that our education should be our number one priority, but what happens when it's over? What happens when the certainty of a fresh year and new September is suddenly gone?

After spending fifteen years in a learning environment, it is difficult for many graduates to break away from the safety net of a new academic year. This is why once university is over, many students are overcome with feelings of hopelessness and purposelessness. They have spent many years being validated by their academic success and suddenly they are hit with the brutal reality that whether they achieve a first, a second, or a third class degree, the possibility of leaving university and falling straight into an ideal career is simply outdated and unrealistic.

What is not made apparent to us (and to those older uncles who try to make polite conversation but just end up offending you) is that it is normal not to have a plan. As daunting as it may be, university is very rarely a one-way ticket to your perfect job. Some people growing up knowing that they will become a teacher, or a lawyer, or a dentist, but many people don't find their calling until much later on. Most people will venture down multiple career paths until they discover what they truly want to do, so if you leave university without a perfectly formulated five-year-plan, just remember that it's okay and you are not alone!