Top Exec Blog (Web Log)

Congratulations! You've just graduated from college and you're basking in the joys of graduation: family, friends, grandparents and others are wishing you the best, showering you with gifts and promising you a happy and fruitful future. The next question you can expect before, during and after the festivities is, "so what are you going to do now that you've graduated?"

For too many new grads, the problem is knowing exactly what to do with the new degree. Some say a year off from any "real" work or further studies is the best approach. Successful PhD's (now) are happy to report the best time in their lives was that year after school, when they moved to San Francisco to wait tables and tend bar. Others, with a bit more "guidance" take the grad school route, and though they have sunshine and fun times during the immediate summer after school, they're bound and determined to take that next step to success through more studies in an MBA, PhD or other graduate program.

Regardless of the route you choose, it can be a kollege kid konundrum (apologies to all of our English teachers, but higher education doesn't mean better spelling skills, especially if you're used to text-messaging your way through school) to figure out what to do next. Here are some tips:

1) Never stop networking - this means even before you graduate from school, you are using all the tools available to build up a "rolodex" of contacts in all walks of life, especially areas where you might hope to make your mark professionally. Ask for introductions, email your long-lost cousin in Barcelona, take a step outside of FaceBook and get yourself over to LinkedIn.com for a "professional networking" experience. Most of all, be willing to seek out people of all ages who might be willing to make an introduction for you, suggest some ideas or listen to what you're going on about and offer their take to help you network onward and upward. Jobs and opportunities, of all sizes, colors and variety are most often found through a network of personal or professional/educational contacts, so keep this skill sharp and use it constantly to help you in your post-graduate activities.

2) Explore the universe - really, what's local and what's global these days? Everything is available in some fashion via the web, and if not, then there is that old fashioned source called a library, or even your imagination, to help dream up and scope out the possibilities for "after school". Some people even take their exploration all the way to Ghana, Uganda or some other far-flung locale, because they really want to explore the universe! What's stopping you?

3) Talk to your parents - believe it or note, they have some very serious life experience, and while they do also have some distinct leanings about what their favorite college grad might be doing other than channel surfing or pool-side bronzing, you might actually pick up some very good tips about how to approach this important step in your life. So, if you've told them you're going to medical school, but you really want a year off to "chill" or do something totally unrelated (safari, anyone?), now's a great time to open up the topic and see what develops. (hopefully not a migraine or a shouting match).

4) Talk to someone else's parents - sometimes the viewpoint of adults (the older ones) who are not directly related or involved in your life (your roommate's dad, or the neighborhood mom who did all your scout activities with you and your friends) can be a refreshing place to get insights into what life might hold after college. Ask them! Be open. Talk about what you like, and don't like. What you're eager to explore and what you're afraid to get near. (Are you really sure about going after that high-pressure job, just for the money?). This, too, can be a great way to develop some alternatives to "work" or "school" or "joining the Peace Corps", none of which are bad alternatives, by the way.

5) Career Counseling Center - as long as you have or had a relationship (paid tuition) with a university or college, you probably can avail yourself of the career center and all the resources (people and information) that reside there. Go find out about internships, part-time work, full-time projects, research grants and all the other opportunities that are funneled to people just like you through that part of the university. You can get help with a resume, advice on your goals and lots of other excellent assistance for the career-minded. Even those not-so career-minded can get some ideas for what life's like outside of the ivory tower campus. Check it out!

6) Read! - yep, it's that simple, read books, magazines, newspapers, on-line sources and whatever else you can dig up to broaden your thinking. You'll be surprised how many new, useful ideas you can find this way. Here's one now: click here, an article from the Wall Street Journal that might be interesting for new grads.

7) The money conundrum (see, we do know how to spell it!) - Invariably, some of the things we want to accomplish in this world cost money. This is a fact of life. Nonetheless, if you're networking, exploring, asking and seeking, there's a good chance that fortune will smile on you and provide in some fashion for what you want to do. Remember, where there's a will, there's a way.

So, new grads, riding the Career Path Express™ can certainly be challenging, but make the most of it! The direction and speed your train rolls is entirely up to you, so hop on board and blow the whistle! The same for those with a few more years on their resume. They, too, should be exploring, networking and reaching out for new ways to approach career, family and life. We all ride the same 24 hours each day, so why not make the most of it?!

Thanks for reading, and whatever you do, enjoy your ride on the Career Path Express™.

© Daniel A. Cabrera, All rights reserved, 2007.