Graduated Students, What Should Do Next?

Congratulations. I know what you are thinking right now because I thought the same couple of years before. What can you do right now to be successful in the future?

First thing first; decide as soon as possible what would you like to do in your life either its research, a marketing job in a pesticide company or government sector. I firmly believe that if you are not sure about what you want from your future, chances are you are going to go where the luck takes you and you wouldn’t be able to complain then because you never tried to be somewhere. Don’t worry you don’t need to select right now. Take your time think about what you are good at and what do you really like to do.

So you already decided, now it’s time to do something practical. If you want to go to the research or academics, take admission in MS and start reading research papers/books. If you like the private sector, go for some professional training instead; learn how to be an ideal candidate that companies are looking for (either online or a professional academy). Learn how to stand out in competitive exams like PPSC or NTS, if the government sector is what you are passionate about.

Taking risks is the other thing that I would like to motivate you on. Many of you may have a passion for business or go abroad on a scholarship. Go for it. This is the perfect time you can take risks. You don’t have kids or other responsibilities yet. Now it’s just you and to be frank you don’t need that much money to survive what’s the worst that can happen? You try it for a year, it fails and you are still 23 and got a whole life to play safe.

Another thing that I learned over time is that investing time, money and efforts on your personality should be the most important thing right now. Don’t worry if you don’t get a big salary. Go for the job where you think you would learn more or which interests you more, not the one that pays you more. Gain as many skills as you can. Be a nice communicator, confident person who just loves himself/herself. Attend events like seminars, conferences, workshops. Increase your social circle, talk to more people, and learn from everybody.

The real world is not as bad as we heard. Believe me, student life is fun but practical life has its own advantages. Your life is going to finish after university, you may have heard that from everybody but the truth is that it’s fun to work too. The moment you become independent, you would be a lot more confident. Not to tell you how money is going to make your life a bit easier.

One of your friends would be instantly successful. Don’t get jealous of him/her. They may earn a lot more or maybe move to Europe/USA but remember don’t get caught up in the trap of comparison. Everyone is running in their own clock. Your time is going to come. You just have to stay back, relax and work hard for it.

It’s normal to be stressed out but don’t forget to enjoy your life. This point also connects with investing in your personality; if you are happy, you are going to do well in your life. Don’t confuse happiness with ignorance. You can still identify some things you are weak in and work on them but as a person try to like yourself. Be open to leaning and welcome positive criticism. Ask for help if you don’t understand something. Your professors, seniors and everybody else is here.