It feels crazy that nearly a whole year has gone by since I left university. Nothing will beat living in a city and being surrounded by your friends (AKA actually having a social life). Even though I could have stayed in Glasgow and gotten a job to tie me over whilst I made some decisions about my future, I decided to come back home for a bit. To be honest, I never thought I'd move back here - where I'm from is quite the opposite from city life. University was an amazing period of my life but mentally it drained me a lot. I thought it was important to cool myself off from stress for a year before venturing into adult life, and oh boy am I now ready to get back into a fast-paced routine!
As the high from finishing exams finally started to dwindle, I found myself twiddling my thumbs thinking, “right, what the f*ck do I do now?”. It was frustrating me that I was potentially not going to use the knowledge from my degree in order to give myself an income. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I would become a tutor. With hindsight, this was such a great decision. Not only was I going to be using my knowledge from my degree to tutor biology and chemistry, I was also pushing myself out of my comfort zone which has massively boosted my confidence. Now believe I can do almost anything!
Onto my second year post-uni plans (yikes that sounds old). I have dreamed of travelling Australia for a while now... so thats what I've decided to do! In January-March 2019 I am planning to travel the East coast of Oz with my boyfriend. I am so excited to make happy memories that I can look back on in the tough years to come. Plus, my seasonal affective disorder would probably thank me for it (long dark days are my biggest enemy). I have always wanted to explore the world - I’m a bit of a travelling noob - but a) my anxiety of flying stopped me and b) I was missing a travel buddy. Though, this does mean I am going to have to save save save this year... But I'm hoping long hours of working will be all worth it!
After my time travelling I have my sights set on doing a master’s degree in nutrition, an area I am very passionate about. It may take me two years post-pharmacology degree to get my butt back in education, but I'm hoping that this time out will give me a much better mindset for the next chapter.
My tips for newbie graduates…
- You don’t need to know what you want to do next. Trust me, I had many mini meltdowns stressing about the fact I didn’t want to go into the pharmaceutical industry. I think taking a gap year post-university is nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, I would encourage it for anyone feeling that final year PTSD - you don't want to burn yourself out.
- Don’t be afraid to change you path. My new journey into nutrition isn’t completely far fetched from my degree in pharmacology, but any degree is a one way ticket into a lot of jobs. Many companies look at skills you would have gained from your degree - especially if it’s an analytical one such as a science of some sort. You might think university was a "waste of time" but you'll be surprised how many places it can take you. Consider using your universities career service - I did, and I was really inspired. Plus, they'll probably put your mind at ease and tell you that most people don't stick to their degree area post-uni.
- Focus on yourself, not what you think everyone else thinks you should do. It’s hard for families to not have an influence on your thoughts about what the next steps are. Take advice, but don’t let others impact YOUR decisions. This is your future after all and if it takes you a little bit longer than everyone else to have your lightbulb moment, then don’t worry!
Megan.
Photocredit: @michael_d_beckwith on Flickr (labelled to allow reuse + modification).
