Some people know what they want to do from an early age and spend their life working towards it. But it’s not uncommon to find yourself nearing graduation without a solid plan.
This could happen for a number of reasons. You might genuinely not know what you want to do, or that there aren’t the job opportunities you might have expected.
Travel
There might never be a better time to travel. Before you embark upon your career and start building up other commitments, travelling once you’ve graduated can be a life changing experience.
Not only will you get to experience other countries and their cultures, but it can give you a perspective on life you’ve never had before. You never know, you may even fall in love with a country and want to begin the naturalization process to stay there.
The life skills, knowledge and independence you gain while travelling will also look good on your resume. If you want to combine travelling with some good deeds, you can volunteer with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or AmeriCorps. You’ll develop a work ethic and make valuable friends and connections in other countries.
Consider graduate school
Your college study may have inspired you to train for a professional career in law, medicine or teaching. To do this you’ll have to undertake further study to gain the necessary qualifications.
Graduate school isn’t cheap, so be sure that it’s something you definitely want to pursue.
Get a job
The economy has been extremely inconsistent over the last decade and unemployment figures have continued to rise. While having a college degree is a great leg up on the competition, there may not be a job to walk into as soon as you graduate.
If you can’t find a job in the profession you want, then look for something else in the meantime. There will always be bills to pay so you need to roll up your sleeves and earn a living.
Even if you end up doing something completely far removed from your chosen career, look for the learning opportunities in it. Experience is experience and you will learn time management skills, a solid work ethic, dealing with colleagues and customers. All of these are transferable skills that you can take with you to any other job.
Start your own business
There are over 16 million self employed people in the United States. They are the backbone of the economy.
Working for yourself can be intensely rewarding. So if you have an idea for a business, now might be a good time to try it. After all, you’ve probably got a few financial or family commitments to worry about right now.
Conclusion
It’s OK if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. Even if you do, the chances are that you’ll change careers at some point during your professional life anyway.
Don’t pressure yourself and use the period in your life where you don’t have too many financial commitments to really explore yourself and what you want to do.