9 ways to beat those ‘graduate blues’

It’s that time of year again, when thousands of graduates are donning their mortarboards and gowns to collect their certificates. This has been the day all students have been working toward for the past 3 or 4 years. So why aren’t they all happy?

That sense of loss some feel between leaving university and finding out what you want to do next is normal. It may be because they feel nervous and anxious about the road ahead, especially in an uncertain graduate job market. It could also be because they have put so much effort into their studies they just feel exhausted. Whatever the reason, here is some advice to beat those post-university blues.

1.      Set new goals and a new plan to attain them. After 3 or 4 years of being challenged at university there is nothing like a new challenge to excite and motivate you out of the graduation blues. Break your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks so instead of just saying “get a career” break this down into “updating your CV,”“finding two referees” and “signing up to a recruitment agency.” Then put these goals in chronological order and focus on one at a time until you have achieved it.

2.      It will be weird leaving university and having no structure to your days so make sure you start a routine and set your own schedule. This will help you stay motivated and productive. You don’t want to wake up every day with no point to it; this will only bring you down.

3.      Don’t stop learning! Learning doesn’t stop once you graduate, this may include learning a language or  developing your IT skills in MS Excel or Photoshop. Something that is relevant to what you want to do and will make you stand out against the other 150,000 students leaving university this year.

4.      Keep busy and use your time effectively! Update your online profile, start a blog about your area of interest which will enhance your writing skills and demonstrate a passion for your chosen career and keep your CV up-to-date.

5.      Stay active! Join the gym or a club, volunteer, travel etc. Healthy is happy!

6.      If you don’t know what you want to do then why not try out a career with an internship? An internship is a great way to test the waters without having to commit to a role.

7.      Another way of keeping busy, enhancing your CV and getting some pocket money is  through temporary work. You never know where this may lead.  Employers don’t often let valued, trained workers go.

8.      You will almost certainly conclude that the most treasured aspect of your university experience was the friends you made. Make it a priority to stay in touch with those who mattered most to you during your university career.

9.      Your graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime moment so make sure you enjoy every second!

If this is something you are going through then don’t freak out too much! Stay positive and things will fall into place.