Hello everyone,
A bit of a different post today but I feel like it's something I have wanted to write about for a while as I think it's an important and relevant topic for people my age. I want to stress that this is my experience and is in no way a representation of everyone's experience post- Uni. Everyone is different but I think reading different experiences is interesting, especially if anyone has been in the same position and felt the same way. One blog that helped me in particular was confessionalprofessionaldramaqueen.blogspot.com.
Making the decision to go to University is a big one and not one to be taken lightly, especially today with the extremely high fees. I definitely felt like I wasn't really made aware of other options when I applied to go to University, almost everyone submitted applications and talked about their preferred courses. I was never really sure which path to take, but focused on a subject I really enjoyed which was Sociology.
1. The rose- tinted expectation of life after University
I am really glad I chose Sociology as the subject of my Undergraduate degree as I found it fascinating to study, the huge scope of topics you can focus on within the subject allowed me to pick and choose according to my interests. I am also really glad I went to University, to have that taste of independence, moving out and fending for myself. I would always recommend it to anyone considering it, some of my closest friendships were made at University. I think it shaped me as an individual and allowed me to come out of my shell and develop my own personality and opinions. Living out in a big City (York) when I was used to living in a fairly small rural area opened my eyes to a different way of life. For example, I could get to wherever I need to be with ease either by walking or by jumping on a bus that arrived every 7 minutes and continued on through the night.
I grew in confidence taking on all these new experiences and working towards a degree as I had never considered that I would ever have the opportunity or ability to gain such a qualification. I also developed a positive image of the future, taking on a 7 week Internship in the summer of my second year 2013 at a local University, due to the promise of such an experience helping with employment later down the line. I absolutely loved the internship, I got on really well with everyone I worked with and it made me feel completely sure I wanted to start working after my degree.
I looked forward to graduation due to the prospect of employment with the qualifications I had worked hard to gain and a bit of work experience. I didn't have a specific field I wanted to enter into, I was interested in Health and Illness but was unsure of opportunities within this field. I didn't feel like I wanted to progress onto further education and I was unable to afford it, I just had a real incentive to work and start earning money.
2. The tough reality
Upon leaving University in 2014 I found it was a lot harder than I had hoped. Even having submitted application after application for jobs before graduating and attending interviews, I was unsuccessful in every application. I had also spent a lot of time and money on these applications and attending these interviews. It felt as if my friends were finding their feet, gaining successful places on Masters degrees and being offered jobs and I was just gaining a pile of rejection emails.
I was so proud to have graduated and was looking forward to the break from the intense workload of University so I put my lack of successful applications to the back of my mind. I thought I would continue to apply and enjoy being back at home with my family. I loved being back with my family but I also started to feel guilty that I was still doing nothing with myself. It got to the point where I didn't mind what the work was, I applied everywhere locally and even started applying further afield in hopes of finding anything anywhere.
After a while it finally dawned on me that I had worked so hard, solidly for three years and had got nowhere. I appreciated everyone in my life and everything I had achieved but felt entirely useless. I was pity party central! I was no longer cooking and food shopping for myself and paying my own bills. I was unable to get anywhere I wanted to without a lot of planning and harassing my family and friends for lifts as I was unable to drive (this is sadly still the case...for now, sorry!). All buses run hours apart where I live and any time beyond 5:30pm was out of the question for public transport. I had little to no money left and it was unlikely that this would change any time soon with the lack of success of all of my job applications.
It felt like all my effort had been pointless and that instead of taking steps forward in my life, I had just taken a giant leap backwards. I was and still am very lucky to have family, friends and a boyfriend that support me. I will always fully appreciate that my family allow me to live with them at home as well as giving me lifts (as do my friends) when I have no other option.
3. Coming out of the other side
I eventually had no choice but to apply for JSA and I attended meetings for a couple of weeks before I finally had a successful interview for a job at Debenhams as a Christmas temp. I was over the moon to have the opportunity to work and earn some money, it was also a chance to develop my work experience.
I loved working at Debenhams, it was a little daunting as the Christmas period is a hectic one everywhere but especially within retail. I gained a sense of purpose and developed friendships with the people I worked with. There were also people I met in the same situation as me. My confidence began to restore as I dealt with more situations I hadn't been in before and started to earn some money of my own. After Christmas 2014, my Christmas temp contract was drawing to a close. I started to apply for other jobs, especially within the University I had my internship with as I had loved working there. However, I was offered a new contract at Debenhams when my contract ended which I wasn't expecting and I felt so relieved to have some employment secured.
After a few weeks of continuing to work at Debenhams, I received news that I had been invited to interview for a part-time role at the University I had worked at during the Internship. I went for the interview and on the same day received news that another full- time job I had applied for within the University wanted me to attend an interview too! In order to see if I had a chance at a full- time position I had to turn down the part- time role which wasn't an easy decision.
4. Ups and downs
I was unsuccessful in my application for the full time job having built my hopes up a little too high so I came back down with a bit of a thud. I continued to work at Debenhams but began to feel unhappy knowing that there had been an opportunity to move on and to expand my field of experience and I had missed it.
One day after a shift I was stood waiting for a bus home and I received a call, it was the University I had been hoping to work in. The department that the original part- time role was based in had a new position opening up and they were wondering if I was interested!! I felt so happy and fortunate to have been given a second opportunity, I began work at the University a couple of weeks later. Although I was extremely glad to move on and take a step forward, I was very sad to leave my Debenhams family who had given me my first ounce of hope!
5. The only way is up
I am still working within the University and have now been given another opportunity in a different department! I am continuing to progress a year after graduating and feel much more positive. I think I was naive to assume that a degree alone would have such an impact on my future. Instead, it seems (so far) to be a combination of qualifications and experiences gained along the way which you can continue to use to grow and develop.
The experiences I gained at Uni helped me to become a more grown up individual with ambition. My Internship helped me to decide work was the right option for me. The experiences I have gained in work have given me a sense of purpose and most of all, the crap times made me appreciate what I have!
All in all, leaving University may have seemed bleak at times but I managed to learn from it, which has helped me to grow and I feel positive for the future!
Rosie
xx
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