I don't know what to do after college!?! It's one of the most common questions I hear - from high school grads, to college students, to even some nearing college graduation.
If you find yourself saying, “I don’t know what to do after college,” you are not alone.
The truth is, most college grads have a "now what" moment. You've basically lived your entire life to-date in some type of educational setting.
Even if continuing on to grad school or some form of post-baccalaureate education is not in your immediate future, and a job is not exactly what you are looking for, there are ways to live life after college that will still make you a productive member of society.
I'm going to share with you my thoughts on what to do after college. Maybe you think these are basic - fine. But maybe they will give you some food for thought.
Get A Job
Ok, thanks for the article... Maybe this is common sense. Graduate college, go get a job. But I want to tailor this for you, especially in light of the next items on this list.
Most people go to college because they want to earn more money over their lifetime compared to people who didn't go to college. You've seen the stats. Maybe you even have calculated your potential ROI from going to college.
But the only way to realize this investment is to actually go and get a job. Any job. Seriously. Working is how you start to build experience that allows you to put the tools you learned in college to work.
If you fail to work, you risk becoming over-educated and under-employed. It's actually a huge issue for people that go to graduate school without working.
So, if you don't know what you want to be when you grow up - that's okay! Start exploring jobs and careers. It's okay to bounce around a little bit. It's normal even... you need to try a few things first to build the experience and learn what you're good at (and bad at).
Go To Graduate School
There's not a lot of great data on how many students immediately graduate from college and then go to grad school. But there is some data that shows that 34% of bachelor's degree recipients enroll in graduate school within 4 years of graduation.
For some career paths, this makes a lot of sense - medicine, law, and even research oriented paths for those who want to stay in the academic fields.
But for others: education, arts, even business, going to graduate school immediately after graduation is probably a bad idea. First, these fields have mixed returns - for MBAs, it could be negative returns.
Second, these graduate programs are typically best paired with solid work experience. Again, you don't want to become over-educated and under-employed. If you do want a master's degree or PhD, get some work experience first.
Even better - many "good" employers will pay for these advanced degrees if they are truly sought after.
"Professional" Volunteering
If you're looking to do something different, consider some volunteer paths.
Join the Peace Corps
The United States Peace Corps started in 1961 as a way for Americans to experience other cultures while helping in different parts of the world.
If you don’t have your own money to travel and you derive a lot of joy from helping other people, the Peace Corps will allow you to travel to places you didn't even know existed and fulfill that inner need to be of service to the world.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, you can serve in one of several areas: education, health, agriculture, economic development, youth development, or environmental preservation.
Applications and openings to 60 countries where Peace Corps Volunteers are posted, are open year-round.
Join AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is like the Peace Corps when it comes to volunteering. Unlike the Peace Corps however, you will be serving local American communities.
Volunteer with Your City
You don’t need to travel outside your city to volunteer and make a difference. Right within your city, there are several opportunities to volunteer.
Organizations you can volunteer with within your city include:
- Meals on Wheels
- American Red Cross
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America
- Local city government
- Hospitals
- Food banks
- Homeless shelters
- Habitat for Humanity
You can also use websites like LinkedIn, Taproot+, and Idealist to find more volunteer opportunities around you.
Now of course, these are volunteer opportunities which pay little or nothing at all. So you would still need to have some financial support while serving in these volunteer roles.
Consider Moving
After college, it can be tough to know where you're going to land. But you should consider moving - in at least a couple ways.
Moving Home
Moving back home doesn't sound that exciting, but it can be a huge financial springboard for your future. If you can live with your parents for a few years after graduation, while you work full time, you can save a lot of money and launch yourself to success by your mid-20s.
Not everyone has this opportunity, but if it works for you, take advantage of it!
Yes, you might be judged a bit early on, but others will also judge you when you're buying your first house at 28 years old because you were able to save so much money!
Moving For Work Opportunities
Maybe you don't have a specific job lined up exactly when you graduate, but you know what you want to do and where you need to be. It can be scary, but now is the time to take that action - not 2-3 years when you may have settled with something else.
Want to work in banking? Move to New York. TV or film? Los Angeles. Country music or radio? Nashville. You get the idea.
If you have a dream, shoot your shot right when you graduate. You have the least to lose if things don't work out.
Moving Abroad
If you're still looking for ways to find perspective in life, consider living (and working a little) abroad. There are a lot of places that you can live, explore, and even work when you're a fresh college graduate.
For example, you could teach English abroad. Or volunteer (see above). These paths can allow you to explore while also gaining experience and knowledge.
Join the Military
Joining the military as a college graduate usually will put you at a higher ranking (better pay and benefits) than if you join right out of high school.
The great thing about the military is that it has several arms you can enlist in: Air Force, Navy/Marine Corps, Army, and Coast Guard.
Each of these arms of the military will have physical and age requirements that most college grads meet and so you are more likely to be able to join.
There are some educational benefits that also come with joining the military. So, if later on you decided to go to medical school for instance, you could receive help for that.
Start Your Own Business
Having a source of income does not always have to involve a job. On this blog, there are several posts on starting your own side hustle or full-on business.
Most of the time, people think of starting a business as a Herculean task that will involve them coming up with some groundbreaking idea and getting rounds of funding from angel investors.
That is one way of starting a business.
There is the another way of starting a business where you provide a service people need and get paid for it. Freelancing as a writer, web designer, or graphic designer are legitimate ways people make a living.
Side Hustle!
Your day job doesn't have to be everything you do to earn money. In fact, starting a side hustle can be rewarding - both in terms of income but also satisfaction in life.
When it comes to having a hobby, making money is a great hobby, and there are a lot of ways that you can do this on your own terms!
Airbnb lets you rent out your couch.
Uber and Lyft allow you to give people rides and get paid.
If you like pet-sitting, Rover will become your favorite go-to app.
These money-making apps are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the gig economy and they will help you get the bills paid while you figure out your next step.
Travel
If you have a stable source of income that allows you to work from anywhere such as freelancing, you could travel to places you want to visit.
As I mentioned above, travel will introduce you to other cultures, give you a fresh perspective, and might even spark an idea of what your next step after college should be.
Even if you're working a full time job, the act of planning future travel can be fulfilling! Start planning your first big trip as a graduate now, so you can start building excitement.
Learn a Trade
If graduating from college has you wondering about what to do next, could it be that you are discouraged by how difficult it is to find a job in your field?
If you cannot find a job in your field or cannot see yourself doing what you learned in school for the long haul, perhaps learning a different trade is for you.
Community colleges and trade schools offer courses in areas like nursing, medical assisting, medical transcription, mechanic training, and plumbing.
These skills typically offer you opportunities to work sooner and you might find that you enjoy it better than your college degree.
Closing Thoughts
If you don’t know what you should do after college, you are not alone. Millions of college graduates before you have felt the same way.
Take a deep breath.
Now, go back over the eight various pathways we listed in this post and find which one suits your particular situation best. Pursue that.
Your thoughts and comments are welcome below.
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared toward anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC, NBC, Today, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.
Editor: Clint Proctor Reviewed by: Chris Muller