It’s Okay If You Don’t Know What To Do After You Graduate

Into my second degree, I more often than not get asked: “what do you want to do after you graduate?”

Do you also get asked this same question? Have you struggle with not having a specific answer to give someone? Are you able to relate to the pressure that family, especially parents, have on you to provide a concrete answer to a concrete job title you’d want once you are finished school and step into “the real world?”

I understand their concern, and that it comes from a loving place. My parents want me to be able to pay back my student loans and be able to provide for myself. But I honestly don’t know what job I can see myself having for the next 30+ years of my life without having a little trial and error inbetween.

This question frustrates me a lot. It stresses me out.

I currently have to complete one more year before I graduate with my masters degree in Kinesiology, yet there is an expectation from my family and friends to know exactly the job title that I want to have after I am done.

I wish that more people would ask about my CURRENT experiences in the program. I have a lot of really great things to share with them but no one asks about my present academic endeavours. My CURRENT research project is really interesting, and I would love to talk about what I am doing in the PRESENT moment, but not many people ask.

Times are changing and jobs are changing.

It seems as though the need for a concrete answer is a generational thing. For example, more people in their twenties work several jobs before they figure out their “dream job” and more often than not, their degree and full-time job are not within the same field. Whereas in the past two generations, you could come out of high school, get a job, work at it for 30+ years, and happily retire.

Society is changing. Not all people graduate with a degree and go straight into a field related to the degree. In fact, I seem to have conversations more often than not with people who are in jobs or fields that they are passionate about and may not necessarily be in relation to their college degree.

However, I also have really close friends that knew exactly what career they wanted for themselves and went for it. For example, my best friend knew she wanted to be a pharmacist and is currently in pharmacy school. It was great that she knew what career she wanted for herself, but that know-all isn’t for everyone. And that’s okay.

I want to be passionate about my job.

I was 18 years old when I chose to go into the field of Kinesiology. Do I still love it? I am not entirely sure. I enjoy learning about it, but my passions lie beyond the field of Kinesiology. That statement in itself freaks out my mom. Why would I spend $40,000+ in a program that I am not 100% sure I want to stay in for the next 40 years of my life?

Do not let the pressure of family, friends or society have you stuck in a career that is not what YOU are looking for. If it is not giving you passion for life then maybe it is time to try something new.

It is okay to have multiple jobs after graduation. That is my plan. Having multiple jobs is how I will determine what career I want for myself. There are so many jobs are out there, but you cannot discover them all if you don’t experience different opportunities.

Take my advice. Choose passion and love over “this is my degree is so I’ll stay in this field.”

But to answer the question “I’m not sure what I want to do after I graduate, I have an entire year left to enjoy a variety of experiences and opportunities that will hopefully led me toward the answer to that question”