Please note: this post is the ramblings and justification of a recent graduate. In a year, two years, ten years, I might be tooting a different tune. Bare with me while I struggle to leave education and enter the real world.
I existed before going to university, I survived during university, but I'm worried about how I'll be after university and in 'adulthood'.
I existed before going to university, I survived during university, but I'm worried about how I'll be after university and in 'adulthood'.
Brief history: I always knew I was going to go to uni. My parents/family spoke about it my whole life. I went to university, I've completed two degrees. I'm considering going back to uni in my middle/long-term future. I went to university straight after finishing college and did my degrees back-to-back without a 'break' period.
Now I've finished university. I was ready to finish uni. I wanted to finish and stop the process of education. I needed a break - more then a summer could give to me - but I thrive in a system of education and in an environment that I can learn in.
The scariest part of leaving university and the safety net of education is; the idea that you NEED to know exactly what you're doing when you're going to do it, and how you're going to do it. Leaving university and saying "I'm just going to work in the bakery for a bit longer" sounds rubbish. But, I can't afford to work for free to build up my client list and pay rent/bills at the same time.
Is it OK to not know what you're going to do after uni?
I'm sure your family members will say no. "You've just got yourself in thousands of pounds worth of debt." But the reality is, that it's near on impossible to find a graduate job. Unless you're training to specifically become something (i.e. nurse, doctor, vet, mechanic, designer, etc.) But when you do a course out of love for a subject, it becomes difficult and confusing. Up until now, I've been a photographer since I was around 14. I started because I was fascinated by photography, and have continued on. But I never wanted to become a working photographer. It's a difficult career choice and, quite honestly, it would kill my love for art.
The long-term goal for me is to get a Masters (possible work towards a Doctorate at some point) and teach. I could've got my teaching degree straight after uni, then work in schools/colleges, but then I would never leave the education system. A break is healthy. And will allow me to exist as an adult, without the boundaries of summer holiday vacations. Also, I've run out of government funding - my masters is going to cost ME money and I want to have some stability in my life first.
The biggest factor is I don't want to teach where I grew up. I don't want to teach my friends children. I don't want to work with my old lecturers. I need distance from where I was a child/teenager/student.
So for now, I'm living at home (still paying a hefty amount of rent), working full-time, and trying to make my first baby steps into adulthood. I'm not alone in saying this, but all graduates (minus the lucky b*ggers who got graduate jobs) are feeling fear over leaving university.
Kay xx
