Don't know what to do with your degree? Think again!
By Bianca Praino
May 2020
To all students asking themselves,
‘I don’t know what I can do with my degree’.
As a university career consultant, who has worked with various student cohorts to facilitate and support their transition from higher education into their chosen field, I have over time noticed how the burning question, ‘What can I do with my degree?’ surfaces and resurfaces again and again regardless of age, gender, background or degree type. Year in, year out, there is a common trend amongst a high number of students, in particular those in their final year, seeking career appointments to ask the big three:
1. What can I do with my degree?
2. What are my options?
3. Where do I look for opportunities?
Are you one of these students? If so, please read on.
First and foremost, let’s reframe question number 1. …
What can I do with my degree? to…
What do you want to do with your degree?
My experience as a careers consultant has taught me (and please correct me if I am wrong ) when a student seeks an answer to this question, more often than not, they have not asked themselves the real question, what do I want to do with my degree? If this is you, then stop for a minute and appreciate that this is perfectly natural and certainly not the end of the world. Maybe you have been avoiding engaging in your career development, been too busy, or happy just living deadline to deadline, and being consumed by your dissertation. (Or was that just me and my experience of university). The reality is though, sooner or later you will have to take charge and decide what you want for your next step, and that’s just it- your next step and not the rest of your life. Nobody is putting that pressure on you other than yourself. The beauty is that you DO have options, even in the current viral climate- dare I say it. However, if you do not know what you want, you cannot even begin to identify steps to get it and the universe is not going to simply hand it to you. Trust me, this, I know.
So before you have clarity on what you want to be your next step, I would strongly suggest refraining from embarking on an overwhelming job search until you know what your negotiables and non-negotiables are.
So, let me reframe the question again,
Do you know what you want to do with your degree?
I guess you could say, it is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Should you know all the options before making a decision, or is it better to figure out what you want first and then move forward? Some students prefer to know what the options are to make an informed career decision based on labour market trends and skill shortages. However, the issue with this can be that even when they find out what all the options are, they are still unable to decide on what job, graduate scheme or internship to apply for because they have not stopped to consider what their professional values are, what they want out of their career and what is their why.
A few questions to ask yourself:
- What skills and experience do I want to gain in my next opportunity?
- What is my preferred work environment?
- What would the nature/purpose of my role be?
- What type of organisation do I want to work for. I.e, the company values, vision and culture?
These questions can be a good starting point to help you figure out what you want from your career, and allow you to job search with more clarity, meaning and integrity.
In addition to the questions above, it is paramount that you understand your value and uniqueness and how that will benefit a potential employer and team. Mapping out all the different areas you have gained experience, in addition to your degree and linking in the skills and attributes you have developed and demonstrated as a result of these experiences will help you to quickly realise that you do have experience. All too often, students undervalue their potential and positive contribution. If you do this, employers, recruiters and the world will follow your lead.
Thanks for reading.
Ciao for now!
Bianca