Now What? : 10 Tips for Transitioning into Post-grad Life (during a pandemic)

As a class of 2020 alumna, it wasn’t long ago that I was a burnt-out student struggling to make post-grad plans. Thankfully, my time in undergrad taught me how to work smarter, not harder. Less than two months after graduation, I secured a full-time job and was accepted into master’s programs at NYU Steinhardt and Teachers College at Columbia. Here is my honest advice on how to navigate the transition into post-grad life during a global pandemic, whether you are a current student or an alum taking your next steps (seeking employment, applying for graduate programs, etc.)

• Get involved in your field. Working and volunteering looks good on your resume and provides you with experiential knowledge to use in your professional career. However, don’t go overboard with extracurriculars; concentrate your involvement in your area of interest. If you can’t participate virtually or while following COVID-19 safety guidelines, make a plan to start once it’s safe to do so.

• Do your homework! Research informs both your coursework and your job search. Learning about niche skills, hot topics and current events in your field provides insight into ways you can assist employers in reaching their goals or surpassing their competitors. Communicating this knowledge on your cover letter and in an interview can help you stand out from your competition.

• Network from home! Add professionals in your field on LinkedIn, then browse their connections and add others in similar roles. Maintain these relationships by engaging with their LinkedIn posts; your connections may know of an opportunity or agree to mentor you.

• Prioritize your interests. Decide what you want and need out of your career (i.e. flexible schedule, work environment, etc.), then compare job/program descriptions with the list to see which ventures meet your criteria.

• Don’t give up! Rejections are not failures. You will always end up in the place you were meant to be, even if it wasn’t part of your initial plan. When one door closes, another one opens!

Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way:

• What’s your Why? When work (and life in general) becomes overwhelming, it’s important to remember the “why” that motivates you. Think about what you want your impact to be. Maybe you want to shape the next generation into better people, or improve the processes of your workplace. Check-in with yourself often to make sure your current work is leading to that impact goal. That being said…

• Do NOT choose a career based on salary, perceived stability, location or any other metric. This year reminded us that things can drastically change in an instant. Choose your career based on what you are actually passionate about. You will feel more personally fulfilled, and you won’t be devastated if something superficial changes unexpectedly.

• Know your worth. Don’t let your employer take advantage of your labor for any reason. If you are being underpaid, overworked, tokenized or otherwise treated unfairly, speak up! Maintaining work-life balance is important, especially if you work and/or study remotely. Protect your mental health by setting boundaries around your time, then stick to them by keeping work-related tasks within your scheduled working hours.

• Don’t be afraid to reroute if your priorities change! Revisit and revise the career goals you originally set. In 2020, it’s especially important to remember that there is no shame in taking a detour from your overall plan whenever your circumstances change. Trust me, future employers will understand if your resume shows experience in unrelated fields.

• Set SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. No one jumps from entry-level to executive overnight. Make specific career goals that can be realistically achieved within a year or two, then break it down by quarter if you’d like. Don’t hyper-fixate on “productivity” or let the phrase “Time-Bound” discourage you; many of us aren’t where we thought we would be by this time.

Lastly, show yourself some grace! My personal and professional lives have drastically changed since I set my post-grad goals in February. This fall, I finally accepted the fact that I am in a completely different city, career field, and stage of life than I planned to be. Although the specifics of the future are still uncertain, take comfort in the knowledge that you are capable, you are resilient and you are going to be alright.

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[adapted from an article originally published in William & Mary Cohen Career Center’s Education & Human Services and Public Services Careers newsletters]

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