NOW A GRADUATE, WHAT’S NEXT…….

NOW A GRADUATE, WHAT’S NEXT…….

WOW! You’ve put in all the hard work and you’re ready for reimbursement. You’ve completed polytechnic or university and are ready for your national service. The lucky ones will be maintained in the organizations they find themselves having their service but what happens to the UNLUCKY ONES. Well, that is something for the mind to deliberate on.

We will deal with just two subjects but before that let’s consider this;

Graduate Kofi share his story with Graduate Kojo wanting to be advised.

Graduate Kofi: “charley! I graduated from the university two years ago and something started happening... everyone I went to school with started going their separate ways. A lot of them are living in different places or at different places in their lives, like getting married. Meanwhile, I'm here on my own. If I scrolled through my mobile phone right now to find someone to hang out with, I could probably find 2 people. I'm single and it’s gets pretty depressing not to even find a job. Are you experiencing this too? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?”

My Answer to his second question………  A BIG NO.

Graduate Kojo: “guy this is not hard. Figure out what you like to do. Join a club in your neighborhood. Go to club meetings or whatever.  The reason you're depressed is because all you do is to stay home and do nothing. It's boring. It's not living. I'd be depressed as well. You can find some parties to attend or go to the night club.”

Well, graduating from school is exciting except that it might be a little frightening. About one million people graduate from universities and polytechnics each year. Where in the world do they all go? Well, few travels, a few get jobs, a few go on to graduate school, but most people end up joining the working world sooner or later and become…who knows. The great thing is that you become whatever and whoever you decide to be.

My question is “Are you really prepared for life after school?”

From the above scenario we could realize that both graduates never prepared for life after school and now graduate Kofi asks if there is light at the end of the tunnel. You should never expect light at the end of the tunnel if you are not prepared to go through the tunnel. Preparing to go through the tunnel is what I term as “personal development” and this is what we never pay attention to. To be sincere to my readers, what we are taught in school is never enough to face the world. We have to learn on our own, we have to identify our capabilities and develop them. Once you graduate you have to put yourself on the market. It’s not enough to just have the degree; you have to show employers what sets you apart from other job applicants. If you don’t have practical experience in your field, then I will tell you to go out and get it before you start applying for full-time job

You could work your way up the corporate ladder until you administer the company. You could try out a lot of different jobs and then start your own business. You could continue your education until all the mail arriving at your house begins with the title, professor. The world is full of opportunities, but it all bubble down to knowing yourself and what matters the most to you and developing them even before you depart from school.

There are ways you can gain experience and even develop your capabilities while in school. It’s a great way to meet potential employers and further your skills by joining professional associations and/or attending their events. Volunteering will also help you to develop skills and experience that can make you stand out from other graduates

One key factor to your success after school is motivation. You can have all the education and experience in the world, but if you do not have the motivation to do anything with it, you’ll find the switch into the working world very difficult. Motivation will allow you to move out of your comfort zone and chase your dreams, instead of sitting back lazily and waiting for opportunities to fall onto your lap. If there is anything that I've learned over the years it's this; anytime that I've stretched my comfort zone by trying something new and scary, I've always learned volumes about my own personality and myself.

Plan your life path. Don't let life plan it for you. It really helps to know yourself and your capabilities. Personal development is a great place to start. And once you have a starting point and know what's important to you, motivation is all you need and those difficult decisions won't appear nearly as difficult. Your plan will be your guide through life's tests and adventures.

You have a tremendous opportunity to build a strong foundation for the years to come while in school…financially, emotionally, in your relationships, and in your career as well. You will learn what you are passionate about and what gets you out of bed in the morning. You will learn what to do when you can't stand your job another day. You will learn how to broaden your life when you feel like all you do is go to work or school. 

The real world doesn’t have to be as scary as many students think it will be. With some good preparation and a focus on your future during school, you’ll likely find the switch a smooth one. Whether you’ve worked during school or not, you’ll likely find the year or so after you are done with your education quite different than any other time in your life. Its fun, exciting, scary, and many other emotions all wrapped up into one experience. When you graduate from the polytechnic or  university, you have everything you need to succeed in life, you just need to go out and really go after the things you want. What are you waiting for? GET OUT!

Christian Essel.