Reasons To Not Go Straight Into Your Dream Career After Uni

Post-graduates often feel an intense pressure to land their dream job immediately after university. This pressure is felt long before graduation day; it’s felt when friends travel to interview after interview before they’ve even finished their dissertations. It’s felt when parents and friends ask what jobs they’ve applied for yet; where they are looking for jobs; whether they’ve had interviews or not.

There is another option to consider. Post-graduates could benefit from holding off from delving into their dream career straight out of university.

So what are the reasons to not go straight into your dream career after uni?

It gives post-graduates a well-earned rest

After near enough two decades in education, graduates can be forgiven for needing a break from deadlines and stress. At the very least, such a long time in education can be considered draining. If graduates choose to put off their “dream career” for a while, it might just give them time for some well-needed recharging.

This rest could involve some travelling, a part-time job and getting back into touch with old hobbies. Whatever post-graduates get up to, this time off will probably ensure post-graduates feel refreshed by the time they tackle a career.

It allows time to think

So often post-graduates feel as though they have far too little time to sit down and have a think. Graduates so often find themselves in full-time jobs, building a career they don’t really want. A bit of time off from it all could well mean post-graduates can clearly think out what it is they want.

This time off could mean dipping in and out of various different internships; learning what’s out there. It could mean doing an extra course that’ll lead to a career a post-graduate really wants. This way, post-graduates won’t simply dive into a career simply because they feel they must. Taking a bit of time off after graduation means post-graduates can work on a reasonable and exciting game plan.

It makes time for a bit of fun

Whether you pub-quizzed and partied your way through university or not, the completion of a degree requires some celebrating. Often students have spent time feeling too guilty to socialise or make time for anything apart from essays. It could just benefit post-graduates if they have half a year working a job that isn’t going to be a long-term thing. This way they can turn up to a low responsibility job and spend their time off using some earnings to have fun.

It means post-graduates can carefully plan for a career

Lots of post-graduates head to big UK cities, without truly having the funds behind them. Having a bit of time off, with the help of a local job, can ensure post-graduates can plan fully for their future career. In spending a few months to a year saving for the necessary things─a car, rent and general expenses─post-graduates can feel at ease in knowing they’re ready for their dream career.

Without the comfort of a student loan and the promise of the return of deposits, graduates would do well to spend time after university saving. Graduates can benefit from spending a few months managing their finances closely and simply using time to save up. Hello Grads gives graduates advice on just this.

Ultimately, post-graduates can’t be blame for feeling tired, unmotivated and in need of a bit of a rest. The notion that post-graduates need to hurry up and enter their desired section of the working world as soon as possible is a little exaggerated. Of course many will benefit from immediately beginning and developing their dream career, but it isn’t always beneficial.

Post-graduates risk feeling stuck in a career they don’t really want, or feel as though they’ve not yet had a break from their time in education. Post-graduates should feel comfortable in knowing that a lot of good can come from having some time off from all of the serious stuff. There are far more options for post-graduates than it first seems; from saving money to moving city, life after uni should be exciting- not stressful!

Kathryn Terry writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for internships and graduate jobs. Check out Kathryn’s Twitter, Instagram and blog to delve into her mind further.

See a similar blog post on why you should take a break after uni.