Practical Guide to Use Your Time after Graduation

Whether aiming for career advancement or self-improvement, these practical tips will guide you toward a fulfilling post-graduation journey. Navigating post-graduation life can be challenging; find seven ways to use your time effectively after graduation. Discover seven effective strategies for making the most of your time after graduation. From honing valuable skills to pursuing personal growth, learn how to navigate the transition into the post-graduation phase with purpose and productivity.

Deciding what to do just after college can be confusing. It takes only a while for the excitement to be replaced by confusion and anxiety. The advice from family and friends can also be quite conflicting. Some recommend taking a gap year to enjoy while you can, and some encourage you to get a job. Figuring out what to do can be a scary experience. Just a few weeks ago, you had a structured life, and now you are on your own, the sole architect of your life. Whether you decide to focus on your career right after graduation or take time to explore your choices, here are the seven practical ways you can utilize your time.

Build a healthy lifestyle

With college finally, over, you have all the time in the world to focus on yourself. Your 20s are the ideal time to build a foundation for healthy habits. Use this time to work on building a healthy lifestyle. Aim to focus on the basics and be consistent with your habits. A few things you can do are:

• Exercise regularly
• Sleep on time
• Have a healthy diet
• Drink plenty of water
• Go on nature walks
• Learn something new daily

Get a Job

Now that you are done with college, you should start applying for jobs soon. Applying for jobs is your job.

1. You might not get your ideal job immediately, but persevere and discover what’s out there.
2. Polish your resume apply for entry-level jobs and let people from your circle know you are looking for work.
3. If you can’t find opportunities in your chosen field, keep an open mind and apply for jobs you qualify for.
4. You might end up finding a career path that you love entirely.

Volunteer or Intern

1. While selecting a candidate for an interview, most recruiters look for someone with relevant experience.
2. Since you are a fresh graduate and might not have held a job during college, it is best to get an internship at different organizations to gain experience.
3. Don’t fret over money initially; focus on the experience and skills you’ll gain during your internship.
4. Interning can also increase your chances of getting a job at the same organization. Treat your internship like a job and aim to provide value.
5. The best way to get an internship is to cold email the recruiting managers and enquire.
6. Learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and other social media accounts.
7. If you can’t find an internship, look up places to volunteer for projects aligned with your values and those you care about.

Work on a Personal Project

     While you are still free of responsibilities that come with work life, you can utilize this time to work on a personal project. This passion project of yours can become an. It can be anything, perhaps a book and a journal review, a computer program you wanted to build, or even a small business. While pursuing your project, you will gain essential project management skills, which will look pretty impressive on your resume, too.

Build a Skillset

The 2020 pandemic proved to so many of us that we can’t rely solely on our jobs anymore. So many people were laid off despite their having worked for the companies for decades and many people became irreplaceable for the very fact that they had skills that made them so. Similarly, many people found jobs due to their skill sets as the companies moved on to the online sphere. Today, in this post-pandemic world, having a skillset is an absolute necessity. While job searching, you can use the time to build a skillset and polish your skills. Find the skills you are interested in and those that will help you propel forward in your professional life. It can be learning a foreign language, web development or graphic designing. You may become so good at something that you can sell them and build a career from those skill stacks alone. You can check out these high-income skills to learn in 2023 7 High-Income Skills Worth Learning in 2023 | Coursera

Invest in Hobbies

Having hobbies can be a fun way to relax and utilize your spare time. Unlike pointless activities such as gaming or binge-watching TV and scrolling your social media feeds endlessly, hobbies tend to be more on the constructive side. Often you’ll end up learning something new or with a finished product. Having hobbies also makes you well-rounded and allows you to meet like-minded people. Your hobbies can also be a means of earning a little side income. You can explore different hobby ideas from this list of 27 Hobby Ideas That Are both Cheap and Fun to Try in 2023 (oberlo.com)

Personal Branding

Personal branding has been thrown around a lot lately, and not without a good reason. Personal branding refers to positioning yourself to showcase your skills, expertise and professional authority. Establishing your brand is highly effective in climbing the career ladder and becoming a top leader in your industry. It also gives you a chance to network and connect with a lot of people. Also, it can help you find interesting and exciting career opportunities. To build your brand, choose and master an online platform like LinkedIn or Twitter and connect with the top leaders in your industry. Attend events and workshops. Continue to share your perspective and learnings and offer value to people for free.

Conclusion

The time after graduation is a precious asset. Using it effectively can be challenging if you aren’t sure what to do. The key is to keep yourself engaged with productive activities. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.      

This article is published at  Perspective.PK  Linkedin Newsletter as  by our Intern Falak Tirmizie