Are you planning on finding a job after college? No it’s not a trick question. It’s a real question. Jobs after college are tough to come by. The answer is most likely going to be yes because everyone wants to (and needs to) make money after college.
Our perspective on finding work after college all really depends on our own circle of friends and those that we interact with. We never think about other perspectives. College students usually assume that they’ll be able to find work once they get their degree. Those that don’t find a job right away are usually just lazy, right?
While traveling through Europe I’ve met many college students from Europe that are spending a semester in a different country as part of some multi-country exchange program. The one thing that many of these students have had in common is their lack of faith in finding a job after college. Many students from Ireland, Portugal, and a few other countries are totally positive that they won’t find work right after college. Some even joke around about how they’re only a few semesters away from unemployment.
Do you plan on finding your dream gig right after college?
If you’re a college student, do you have a plan for life after college? Are you planning on finding a job right away? Do you think that you’re going to have to wait until you find any work at all?
I personally didn’t plan on finding any job right away. I actually had a different plan. I wanted to work a part-time gig so that I have an income coming in while I work on my online projects. I’ve given myself a set amount of time to give my online ventures a real shot. I figure that since I busted my ass to graduate debt free from college I owe it to myself to try to create my own job instead of going to a place of employment that I despise.
If you’re a college student feeling hopeless about your job prospects post-college I have an answer for you. My solution to the problem of finding a job after college is simple. The process involves two steps:
- Start looking now.
- Create your own job.
If you wait until you have that degree in your hand to start looking for ways to make money you’re going to fall behind. If you always rely on someone else for income this could also cause trouble.
Let’s dissect both of these points:
Start looking now.
You need to start making moves while in college. You clearly know what you need to start doing now. I’m not here to give you any magic solutions. You know that you need to start building connections in your field. You know that you might have to volunteer your time in a firm you want to work for one day. You know that you need to fix up your resume. You know that there’s a bunch of tasks that you can do right now to start looking for your first gig post-college.
The issue is that college students will suffer from information overload and do nothing in the end. I want you to stick to one thing. This one thing can be building connections or volunteering, and I want you to stick with it. Instead of trying to do everything at once, you should give just one strategy a shot and see how it works out. You owe it to yourself to give yourself a head start when you got that paper in hand.
Create your own job.
You can also create your own job. The beauty about college is that you can easily start a side business. I’ve written about this many times because I stand by this theory all the way. You won’t always find your dream jog and you might not even find a job right away. This is why you need to create a job. There are many ways you can go about this. I’ll share my favorite posts on this topic:
Why College Is The Best Time To Start A Business & How You Can Make Money in College Right Now.
Now I wanted to ask all college students again– are you planning on finding jobs after college?