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When you start college it seems like you have an eternity to make up your mind about what you will do after graduation. While some people might have known since freshers’ week where they were going after college, many don’t begin to consider it until their final year.
There are plenty of options facing final-year students, from graduate programmes to working abroad to further study. Whether you’ve always known what you want to do after finishing your degree or are only recently thinking about it, it’s important to know what all your options are and what will work best for you.
There is a basic choice: work or further study. But even within those you have a number of paths, so it is important to figure out which fits with where you want to go in life.
Career guidance centres, graduate offices and career fairs, either on campus or organised by groups such as Gradireland, are hugely useful. You should use them to talk to relevant people, pick up information and figure out the best route for your preferred career path.
Talking to people who went on to work or study in the area you are interested in is also a good way to try to plan the next step. Universities and colleges usually have former students they can put you in touch with if you are considering further study, while many companies will be happy to put you in contact with people from their graduate programme to tell you about their experience.
Taking that first job
After three or four years of study, many students are happy to see the end of assignments, exams and a diet made up of cereal and baked beans. For those, entering the world of work is the logical route and it seems this is a good time to be a graduate looking for a job.
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