In your final year and no idea what to do?
It may feel overwhelming, but it's okay. Lots of students find themselves feeling stressed in the fall of final year, worried that graduation is soon approaching and they don't yet have a plan.
There is time for you to work toward figuring out what you want to do when you graduate this spring.
Here are some steps you can take to move forward.
Consider what you have considered
While you may feel like you have no idea what you want to do, you have probably considered a variety of options in the past. Reviewing these ideas can give you an idea of what sorts of roles you are attracted to (and not attracted to).
Dream a bit
If you could be doing anything, what would you really like to be doing? Don't worry if you are not even sure if there really is a job like that, just spend some time thinking about how you'd be spending your time if you could be working at anything you wanted. Let go for a moment any concerns about being "realistic" and dream. Your dreams can give you great clues about what type of work might be appealing to you. With that knowledge you can start researching how you might make part, or all, of that dream a reality.
Assess your skills
Part of deciding what you would like to do is figuring out what you CAN do. How well do you know what your skills are? Review what work (paid or unpaid) you have done in the past and identify what skills you used. As you start exploring jobs you might do, it will be really helpful to have a good sense of the skills you bring.
Create your criteria checklist
There is a huge wide world of job options out there. What are you looking for in a job? What type of environment? What location, salary, organizational culture? Creating your own checklist of the criteria that makes a job appealing to you can help you evaluate options.
Explore what's out there
Most people can only name a handful of different occupations. We all know about doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc. But in reality, there are thousands of different types of careers, and new ones being created all the time. There are surely options that you can get excited about. To explore what these may be, try visiting your campus' career services. They are likely to have books and/or weblinks about career options to get you started - far more efficient than just Googling "career options."
Speak with a career counsellor
Even a short conversation with a skilled counsellor can move you ahead by leaps and bounds. With thoughtful questions they can help you draw out your interests, identify things that might be getting in the way of making a decision, and discuss strategies for how to move forward.
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Comments
“Here are five steps you can take to move forward.”
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Since you then proceed to list SIX steps, can we assume you are not pursuing a degree in mathematics or the sciences?
If you are in a humanities BA program I would suggest that you start applying to a provincial college now so that you still have a chance to get into a good 2-3yr program (business, technology, etc.). At the end of this you will then have a chance at job that pays above the minimum wage.
Thanks, Anthony S, for noticing our math blunder. It's been fixed.
As a university lecturer I'm continually surprised by how little thought students in their last couple of years of study give to where they might work (home or abroad), what organisations exist in that area, what job descriptions exist and so on. I think internships are an excellent way to advance a career, but they are also hard to secure. My advice: 1) begin thinking about the field you want to work in early and research it like you would an assignment. 2) wherever you have any flexibility of topic for essays and other assignments – choose a topic that will provide you with specific knowledge that you could use in a job or employment interview. If you want an internship, study the company or country where you want to go and tailor your assignments in the last couple of years around that objective.
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