Life After University

The time of essay writing and exams is nearly over and summer is waiting but what happens after?

The end of the school year is quickly approaching and many students will be relieved to finally be graduating this summer.

So what’s next? When you get handed that piece of paper, which you’ve been working so hard for, what do you do with it? Many graduates will be asking themselves these same questions.

There are several options to choose from and it wouldn’t hurt to take some time to go over them and see what’s best for you.

One of the options is to keep studying. A postgraduate degree usually takes one year and allows you to specialise in a certain area. This would be a good idea for people who know what career they want to go into and know they need extra qualifications to get accepted. However, it does mean it will add to the student debt and studying for a master’s degree isn’t easy. Having a master’s can also get you a higher paid job. Those with a higher degree earn around £5,500 a year more on average than their colleagues with a bachelor’s degree.

Previous surveys have shown that money was often the barrier for people to do a master’s since many students simply couldn’t afford to keep studying. The introduction of the Postgraduate Master’s Loan Scheme in June 2016 has had a significant positive impact. The number of students who have started a full-time postgraduate degree in England in the academic year 2016-2017 has increased by 22% since last year. The loan allows students under 60 to borrow up to £10,000 to complete their master’s degree.

If the only reason you’re thinking of doing a master’s is because you’re not ready to join the adult world or you want to keep living the student life maybe you should reconsider. Completing a postgraduate degree isn’t easy and it comes with its costs. For those who really want to keep studying there’s the option to study in a different city. London is a great place to live and work but it’s also very expensive. There are many cities around Europe which have cheaper tuition fees and are more viable for students.

Many EU countries allow students to study for free or at a very low cost. Countries such as Spain, Poland, Hungary and Lithuania all have a much lower living cost than London. More Northern cities such as in Scandinavia are rather expensive but their universities are free. It depends on how much you have to spend and what you want to get out of your time as a student.

Research by the London School of Economics and Surrey University for the Sutton Trust has revealed that people nowadays are more likely to keep studying after they’ve gotten their bachelor’s degree. Over the past 15 years the number of people in the UK with a postgraduate degree has almost tripled. In 1996 only 4% of Britons aged between 26 and 60 had done a master’s, now it’s risen to 11% equal to 2.1 million people. This is due to the fact that many jobs which used to accept A-level students now require a postgraduate degree.

However, many students would agree that they’ve had enough of all the studying and pulling all-nighters and would rather start earning a decent wage. Anyway, there’s always the possibility to go back to school after you’ve been working for a while. That way you can get a taste of the work life and maybe decide to specialise in a certain area of interest.

Helio Fazenda, 28, has been working as a pharmacist technician at Kings College Hospital for five years now. After studying in Portugal for four years he got his bachelor’s degree and moved to London. “I could’ve done a masters, but I was like no I’ve had enough and I need the money. So I chose the easier option and started looking for a job.”

To make sure your chances of getting a job are high, it would be wise to start looking now. Apply for as many jobs as you can and try to get an internship for the summer. It usually doesn’t pay but internships can teach you so much about the industry and will look great on a CV. If the jobs you’ve applied for are looking for a master’s degree you could try applying for a smaller company and work your way up from there. Gaining real life skills and experience will help get you the job you really want without having to do a postgraduate degree.

For people who don’t want to enter the adult world just yet but are also unsure of what to do next there’s the option to take a gap year. You get the chance to travel around and discover new places and cultures. There’s the option to get a working visa and do a bit of work while you’re travelling or to do some volunteering.

Alice Rogers, 22, is graduating in July with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of the Arts London. Rogers says her final year has really demotivated her to pursue a career in graphic design but hopes that taking a year off will help return that passion. That’s why she’s decided to move to Australia for a year at the end of August.

“I’m really excited. Can’t wait to leave and just do a bit of travelling around. I’ll probably just do bar work or agency jobs when I’m over there. I’ve got a short internship lined up for July but apart from that I’m just going to be working full-time at the pub I work at now and try save as much money as possible till August.”

Many young people often take a gap year before going to university but some, like Rogers, say they were afraid they’d lose the motivation to study. Once you’ve got your degree there isn’t a better time to take off. You’re young and not committed to any job yet. Once you’ve established yourself in the workplace and have a steady income it’s hard to just up and leave.

“It’ll be weird to not have to study anymore. I’ve been going to school my whole life basically and now I’m just free to do what I want and go where I want. The plan for now is to just travel for a year but I’ll see what happens. Either I come back and find a job as a graphic designer or I’ve completely changed my mind and will have to study something new. It’s scary but I don’t not want to do it and be miserable at my job for the rest of my life,” says Rogers.

There are a lot of options out there for graduate students and it would be wise to really think about what you want out of life before making a decision. There’s always the chance to change your career or to go back to school so nothing is set in stone. For now just enjoy the summer and the fact that you’ve made it through university in one piece.

Read the full research report for the Sutton Trust here: https://www.suttontrust.com/researcharchive/the-postgraduate-premium/

Check out the Postgraduate Masters’ Loan Scheme here: https://www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan