WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUR UNIVERSITY GRADUATION

With graduation looming and inspiration yet to strike about your future plans, it's easy to get stuck in a cycle of despair. All of your friends are starting fancy grad schemes after their graduation, while the only thing you've got lined up is a Breaking Bad marathon and scheduled panic attacks about the dwindling graduate jobs market

Your student character is about to expire, and if another family member asks you about your career plans then you might just have a breakdown. Sound familiar? These six points might help to reassure you.

1. We're still young

Those who started a three-year course straight from school will have only just turned 23, so there's no rush to accept the first 9-5 job that you're offered. DANIEL MKOMA, a recent graduate from DODOMA University, turned down several graduate jobs in favor of continuing with photography work.

He says: "I don't see the point in accepting a poorly-paid graduate job that I'm not even sure I want to do, just because I'm expected to. I'd rather save up until I've had time to decide what I really want to pursue."

2. Comparing yourself to other people is a waste of time

Just because your housemate has secured their ideal job doesn't mean that you're a failure by contrast. we do not have to live in others' dreams, fight to achieve your dream and have no rush because you will end up doing things you never expected to do in your life. be you, focus and be real. do not compare yourself with others because you are unique and smart than them.

3. You can't discover who you want to be until you find out who you are

Personalities often change at university, which can be daunting beyond the bubble of campus life. Challenge yourself by experiencing something new, while you still have the chance. most university students tend to conform from who they really are into some new sort of personality to compete with other students in their respective universities, that one may pretend that he cant do a certain work, cant eat a certain food, cant live in rural areas etc. while deep inside him he knows that he can. so the point here is "BE YOU" as u used to be before the university studies

4. Many successful career-people have 'fallen into' their line of work

Recent statistics  found that 19 out of 20 graduates had switched jobs within three years. Be confident enough to accept that your dream career might not be as you had hoped, and devise a new plan according to the aspects that you enjoyed. don't wait for "that specific dream job" to arrive while sitting on the sofa under your parent's house. expose yourself and do any job that satisfies you and can keep ur happiness on track. NB; never do a job that you believe cant make u happy or you wont enjoy doing, but this doesn't mean you have to stick on finding the job of your profession.

5. Your degree won't go to waste

Deciding that you don't want to be a psychologist doesn't necessarily mean that the three years and thousands of pounds spent on a psychology degree was all for nothing – any university education teaches a desirable skill set. According to Prospects, many graduate employers seek degree-level candidates rather than those disciplined in a specific subject. so u have nothing to lose and be proud that u are one among the few degree holders in the country. doing other things out of ur profession will not undermine your degree.

6. You're not alone

Most career advisors, says that many students are unsure of their plans after graduation:

"How uncertain they are does vary, from those who have an interest in a general area of work but have not yet decided about it, to those who describe themselves as not having any ideas at all.

"Panicking doesn't help and is unnecessary anyway. Don't let things drift, keep calm and make a plan. Realise that you're not deciding what to do with the rest of your life, but choosing a good next step for you."

7. do something with your education 

 Most university graduates especially in Tanzania tend to remain idle and hoping for the government and other private firms to employ them. trust me, It is very easy for you to be employed when you are working with people with access to the employers and employment itself. so, volunteer, find internship or anything that will keep you closer to such people.

8. Don't be a greedy person

U need to have a stand on what you have decided to do from a pile of choices u might have been given, if u choose to volunteer or to do an internship then do not give up within a short period of time claiming that you want them to pay you, make a clear decision after conducting a simple research on what you want to do before putting all your feet into it, time passage do not matter, but what you will earn after that is what counts........................