3 Things You Need To Know Before Leaving College

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So, you’ve done it. You’ve reached the last year of college, and the finish line is in sight. Some of you may even be well-positioned to know that graduation is almost guaranteed. Others still have lots of exams to work for and study hard towards. Either way, you’re getting ready to leave college after at least three long years. Now, what next?

Life after college is remarkably different from life during and before college. As a result, there are many things worth knowing before you leave. In this post, I’ve listed three vital things everyone needs to know before they graduate and fly off into the post-college sunset. Check them out here:

1. Having A Degree Doesn’t Guarantee You A Job

Just because you have a college degree doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to find a job. It also doesn’t make you entitled to employment because you paid your way through college and studied hard. Don’t be surprised if you apply for many jobs and people without college educations get ahead of you. Often, companies look for experience in education as it’s a safer option because they know the person has experience working in a similar line of work.

You probably read that and are contemplating why you even bothered attending college. Your degree will carry much weight in some fields and may be an essential job criterion. For example, going into a healthcare career without a relevant degree from a top BSN Nursing college. Your degree is not, and will never be, worthless. It can help you get jobs and make you look like a more desirable candidate but don’t think of it as a badge of honor that automatically grants you any position you want. You must still go out there and get the needed experience to land a job.

2. There Are Lots Of Online Master’s Courses Available

Some people are preparing to leave college and can’t decide whether to continue their education. Do you stay on and pursue a master’s degree or not? One of the main things that put people off this is that you must stay in college for more years and pay more money. However, what if I told you many online courses were available? When I say loads, I mean loads.

Regardless of your study, there’s almost every chance you can find a course online. There’s something for everyone, from online finance and administration courses to an online degree in nursing and even online counseling graduate programs. So, don’t assume you can’t pursue further qualifications after your initial college time is up. You can still get a Master’s degree in something, but you take the course online and pay less money. Consider this before you rush into applying for jobs.

3. Life Is About To Get Real

You’ve probably had a good few years in college where everything seems like a blur. Yes, there was a lot of studying, but you also had a lot of partying. It’s easy to get caught inside the college bubble and lose a grasp on the reality of life. When you’re in college, you have student loans to help you pay for things, and you don’t think about your money that much. You don’t care about how much energy you use or waste of water. It’s also unlikely you pay too much attention to your shopping bills every week either. When you graduate, all these things will start to matter as life gets real!

Most people will still live at home after graduating, which is probably the cheapest idea. But, unless your parents are very generous, you still might have to pay rent to live there. At the very least, you must consider getting a job and earning your way. There’s no longer anyone or anything you can rely on for money. Your student loan days are past; every penny you spend means more now. Then, you have to think about eventually moving out and finding somewhere of your own. This means taking into account bills, etc. In short, be ready to become an adult quickly when you leave college. Don’t get stuck in the college bubble and assume you’ll always have a helping hand to guide you everywhere.

The purpose of this post wasn’t to scare any of you preparing to leave college this year! It’s meant to give you a sense of what to expect once you graduate. I think it’s important to know what might happen and the different paths you can go down should you decide to study more or look for a job. If you’re looking for more reading material to help you when you graduate, check out this previous post on planning your first six months after graduation.