It’s useful to consider all sorts of different paths you might take after graduation. Here, I’ve outlined the three most popular routes my peers and I are taking after we graduate this year.
Graduate Schemes (Finance/Consulting)
Graduate schemes can seem like a daunting and competitive process. Typically, they involve online tests based on aptitude, numerical skills and situational judgement before beginning a process of interviews or assessment centres. My best advice is to start thinking and researching what exact role or department you’d like to be in – from Forensic Accounting to Customer Consulting – start thinking and preparing early. Graduate scheme openings are often posted on company job websites from September until January. They are a challenging but worthwhile process and many of the tests are similar, meaning practice really does make perfect!
There’s a huge array of resources that helped me secure my dream graduate scheme. The main ones I used to brush up on my numerical skills and read about helpful tips were Practice Aptitude Tests and Graduates First.
In terms of interviews and assessment centres, again practice makes perfect. It’s so helpful to practice answering questions with friends, classmates or family. The University’s Careers Service is also fantastic in preparing you for all aspects of graduate schemes – from checking CVs to mock assessment centres, I really recommend looking at everything they have to offer.
Teaching English Abroad
A lot of my friends have applied to teach abroad as an English Language Assistant (ELA) for the British Council. Regardless of whether you want teaching to be your long-term career focus, teaching English abroad gives you the opportunity to gain transferable skills and explore other cultures. Many programmes don’t require you to speak the native language, so you needn’t have studied or been fluent in the language. For example, you can apply to be an ELA in Spain and China without a proficient level of the language. It’s a great gateway into exploring new cities and countries, decide if you enjoy teaching in general or prompt other career opportunities or ideas to develop. It’s also usually around 12-16 hours a week, which leaves time for travelling or other part-time work – and great school holidays!
Further Study
Exploring further study is also a great choice after graduating. It allows you to specialise further within an area of your choice or explore something slightly new. AMBS offer some incredible options, allowing you to better understand your interests and motivations for future career paths. Many specialised jobs such as Sustainability Consulting require a master’s degree, so it’s definitely worth considering whether it might be essential to your path if you have one in mind. Other peers of mine are choosing to move elsewhere, such as to London studying Media Communications within Business. There are so many options!
Overall, these are just three of the pathways my peers and I are choosing this year – of course there are so many more including shorter-term internships and work experience, which allow you to gain an insight before committing to a certain role or industry.
