It can be daunting to feel that you need to start thinking about the next phase of life before the current one ends, but the truth is that this can lead to a lot of mental clarity. When it comes to your career, you owe it to yourself to really think through all the options. Since most people will spend the majority of their life as a member of the workforce, feeling satisfied in that area is essential. When you are still in undergrad, start to think about how you want your life to look after graduation, here are a few things to consider to let your dreams start flowing.
Graduate School
Getting a higher level of education is not the right or the wrong choice, it is however deeply personal and a big commitment. Unlike undergrad, everything in graduate school will be accelerated and at a much quicker, and more competitive pace. Think about your career prospects as you ponder going to graduate school right away, if at all.
One of the best parts about this option is there is no true timeline. Graduate school opportunities are not going anywhere. If you think this is something you might want to do in the future, feel free to wait, and gain some work experience before you make your final decision. This is a great example of why early planning benefits you because you give yourself time to weigh options instead of feeling pressured into quick choices.
Your Financial Future
How strong is your financial literacy? As an undergrad student, you are likely living the broke college life that most students do and might feel like as a result of having little to no money, there is no need to manage it, but that is where you are wrong. It does not matter how much money you have, as it matters more what you do with it. Especially if you are considering expensive future choices like graduate school.
Luckily there is help available to people that want to spend large amounts of their money on furthering their education. You can find college scholarships faster and start applying for scholarships by using a free scholarship search and application platform. Sites like Going Merry scholarships will show you what you are eligible for now, as well as what you can work towards becoming eligible for in the future. When you give yourself the gift of time you are also creating more opportunities. Visit these sites early so that if there are requirements you do not currently meet, you have time to do so without the pressure of a tight deadline.
Your Living Arrangements
Where will you call home once you graduate? If you plan to move back home with your family, you might think that you do not have anything to think about, but you do. Will there be different expectations from your parents now that you are an adult, and not a child, living under their roof? What about financial commitments, are they going to have you chip in for living expenses? In many cases, these questions can be answered casually in a nonconfrontational conversation with your parents, but regardless it is best to have them early, so you don’t show up expecting to move home and find out the hard way they have turned your old bedroom into a home gym.
Your Personal Life
When you are in college, there is really no shortage of opportunities to be social, spend time with friends, and invest in your own hobbies and desires. There is however a slight shortage of freedom to do so, and money to make it all happen. When you are an undergrad, your primary concern is your studies, and finding a balance between making good grades and making every party can be tough. Once you graduate, however, your personal life will shift from this style of push-pull to a brand new one.
Adjusting to the transition from college to the real world is not easy for everyone, but that does not mean that it is destined to be difficult either. If you choose to enter the workforce right after graduation you might be excited to discover that a new environment can afford you the chance to make new friends, travel the world, and learn about your industry in ways that only an on-the-job environment can.
Take advantage of this time and get to know who you are, as a young adult. What do you like to do on a Saturday when you have more options than a college football tailgate? What kinds of foods do you like to eat now that you have access to dining experiences that may have previously been out of reach? This is an exciting time, so don’t hold yourself back from any new discoveries.
