#86

This is what I’m anxious about. I get the impression that if I don’t find a really good graduate job now, then my degree will be worth less in a year’s time.

#87

From my experience your degree won’t be worth any less in a years time. I applied for a few things while I was at uni but many more after and it didn’t seem to make any difference that I had already graduated. At worst they could ask what you have been doing since you graduated.

The mistake I made was leaving it a few months after I had graduated to really start looking and some places had filled their grad intake. Other places were hiring through out the year or started later in the year so they are the ones I applied for. In the end I didn’t even do a grad scheme and I think that suited me better as I learnt loads working at a small company. You are already looking at it now, which is much more active than I was.

#88

worked in a call centre at uni in london so stayed there after i finished, got promoted through a few different jobs, company got liquidated, got new job, didn’t like it, left, bummed about doing music for a bit, found new job which is basic but i work for an organisation i’m very happy to work for

#89

Doing a work placement is worthwhile as it’ll give you some real world experience and look better on your CV. Plus like me you might be offered a full time job from it which will make things easier.

1 Like
#91

Got a job at Oxford Uni. I hated it and it gave me a life-long loathing of the place, but looked good on my CV. My department/college was particularly vile and full of racists and snobs.

However different departments/colleges within Oxford can be radically different working environments. One of my colleagues transferred to a way nicer workplace. It’s a huge Uni and is always hiring for stuff like entry level admin work so might be worth a try to earn some cash and get something on your CV.

2 Likes
#92

The general vibe of this thread is “chill out”. Jumping straight into something won’t necessarily make you happier or more successful. Think about what you want to do and work towards it. Enjoy any time you have for yourself. If you end up doing something you don’t like, change it. Peace.

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#94

Yeah but then you’ve spent all your toast money when you get there.

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#95

A thought occurs to me that I don’t think anybody’s mentioned in terms yet. One of the reasons that it took me a long time to get my career started is that I was still very very immature when I left university. I swear I wasn’t anything even resembling a functioning adult until my mid-twenties, so it’s perhaps not much of a surprise I didn’t slot myself straight into the adult world at 21.

So if that’s the way you feel then cut your cloth and like others have said here, basically bum around trying stuff out. Advantages of being young are being flexible, being low maintenance and being mobile [In some cases also highly sexually desirable, but terms and conditions apply], so take advantage of those advantages.

2 Likes
#96

Worked the late shift at Morrisons so I slept in til 4pm, went to work, hated my life, couldn’t sleep, stayed up til 6am, then repeated the day again.

For two and a bit years, although some of it I was unemployed so it was less shelf stacking, more panic attacks on the way to the job centre.

No one has their life sorted after uni tbh though

#98

I certainly hope that’s true. I officially move from dead-on mid-twenties into mid-to-late twenties in under a month.

1 Like
#100

True. Though my fingers are crossed that some kind of weird 1980s movie style natural event of some kind miraculously raises my Objective Sexiness Quotient ™ by a significant percentage.

#102

Oh yeah everyone here’s more relaxed and I feel better after reading the replies. I’m generally feeling happy atm, first time I’ve actually felt like this in such a long time that it’s difficult to process, to the point that I’m not sure I am happy because my brain’s not used to it. Happy except for the fact I might be broke for a few months, which in turn might make it harder for me to get out and look for jobs so effectively I’m going to be stuck here for a while.

From other sites I’ve been reading, and from people on Facebook, everyone seems to be more pessimistic about their prospects, even though they seem far more organised and did a lot more extra stuff at uni than I did (having important roles in societies, having done summer internships every year, having written frequently for TheTab since first year etc), and in turn it’s making me more pessimistic. Probably not the majority of people but it seems like the majority.

Maybe I should stop reading threads from TheStudentRoom and making acquaintances with people who are probably Young Conservatives. Maybe it’s a very specific generational thing (i.e. graduates of today’s Brexit looming economy).

2 Likes
#103

This pretty much. I had no idea what I wanted to do after uni, I assumed a job would fall into my lap, which was laughable. I wasted about 5 years doing data admin work before I actually got off my arse and applied myself a bit more.

3 Likes
#104

I graduated in 2008 into the financial crash (like I said, I was made redundant from my first proper job before I’d finished the vocational training), so it hasn’t been a “good” time to graduate for a while. And yet, somehow, we all muddle through. Don’t set much stock by what other people are saying, we all know how bad a barometer of anything social media is - people exaggerate how good they have it and how bad they have it. Allow yourself a break, enjoy feeling happy for a moment, you’ve all the time in the world to get stressed about working life.

4 Likes
#105

How’d you recommend W4MP? I had a look at it there and I don’t seem to meet any of the criteria like writing copy, but maybe I should blag it anyway?

#107

I thought it would be easy! Probably just need to get some writing ‘out there’ in a vague sense

#108

I live in a village in the middle of nowhere about 30 mins away from Oxford, I go there pretty often in the week but getting there can be a pain (having to rely on infrequent and inconvenient bus times). I still have the part-time job as a teaching assistant (until September I think) but I guess I could do more voluntary stuff in the meantime as I’ll be working a bit less since it’s summer.

Yeah I probably will email/phone them at some point. I also need to change my student account to a graduate account (which is causing me mild anxiety for some reason) which I think will enable me to continue using the careers service for 2 years after graduating or something.

I want to work in London more than anything tbh (and ideally move out and rent there, although I know it’s expensive). Again it’s just a pain getting there. I need to learn how to drive.

Is that £6 with the Oxford-London coach thingy? Weirdly I’ve never used that (even though I see them all the time). If it’s only £6 I’m definitely going to make more use of that :grinning:

#109

i know you said SSP but i’m absolutely astounded by this part of your post and refuse to believe you’re not taking the piss.

#110

Not sure what you mean, but this is what I’m talking about:

Although I may have mis-read it…

#111

yes.