4 minute read
What else can you do?
Maybe you don’t feel ready to enter the working world, or maybe you simply haven’t found a job yet. What other options are there?
Time out
Taking some “time out” – or a “gap year” – after your studies is a common route for many graduates in the West, and it’s becoming increasingly popular here in Asia. There are many great opportunities during a gap year to boost your confidence and experience, all while improving your resume in the process. Most tend to fall into one of the following areas:
Travel
You can travel purely for the cultural experience and global exposure, or you can combine travel with voluntary or paid work experience. Specialist organisations can help you arrange either paid or voluntary experience in advance, or you can just figure things out as you go along.
Travelling can also serve as a crash course in finance; you’ll be forced to learn how to budget and manage your money.
Not only that, but being on the go all the time will drive you out of your comfort zone and push you to fend for yourself – and you can highlight these skills and experience in your future job applications.
Of course, at the moment, this option is only possible if the countries you’re aiming to travel to are accepting tourists, and you meet vaccination requirements, if any. Most importantly, you have to be willing to accept the risks of doing so. You can find opportunities both locally and overseas, and these can range from working with your local social work organisations to global entities.
But one of the biggest benefits of volunteering is the contacts you’ll make; you may even be surprised by the people you run into. Moreover, the connections you make with fellow volunteers and supervisors may come in handy when you begin job hunting.
On top of all that, in some cases, voluntary work can be sold in your resume as professional experience, depending on the nature of the work and the skills the role requires.
Voluntary work
Short courses
There’s also the option to gain new skills or brush up on existing ones. Learning a new language is a popular choice, as are IT-related courses like applications development and web design.
While this may only appeal to graduates who are looking to be more competitive in the job market, having a new skill under your belt will impress employers, and can also help you meet the technical requirements for a position you may be interested in.
Is it for me? Yes
• Your gap year may help you work out what you want to do • It’ll give you the experience you need to find a job • It’ll help you develop career management skills, such as adaptability, flexibility and problem-solving
No
• You may find yourself out of sync with the recruitment cycle when you return from your travels • You’re worried about competing with new graduates after your time out • You’re only doing it in the hope that the economic situation will improve while you’re pursuing other things
Postgraduate studies
A postgraduate qualification may improve your career prospects, but you’ll need to consider your options carefully. For one, postgraduate study is both time-consuming and costly, so make sure you are clear about your reasons for pursuing further education instead of jumping in prematurely.
Seek out good advice. Prepare a shortlist of courses you’re considering and then book an appointment with an advisor at your career services centre. A career advisor can help you work through the key considerations involved and give you advice on preparing a strong application. When choosing a course, you will need to consider:
The content and mode of study
The content of your course should align with your motivations for pursuing a postgraduate qualification. If you’re looking to add value to your undergraduate qualification for a specific career field, consider the relevance of the course’s content to the industry you aim to work in.
You’ll also have to consider the mode of study – universities typically offer a choice between full-time and part-time courses. While part-time studying will let you spread the cost of the course as well as offers a better balance between work and school, the level of your engagement with a part-time course won’t be as high as that of a fulltime one. Funding
Finding a source of funds is the most difficult hurdle for most postgraduate students. If your parents are willing to help you out, then good for you! If not, a bank loan may be a viable option.
However, if you’ve already taken up a loan for your undergraduate studies, you may need to seriously consider if you want to add on to that debt – or if you even qualify for the additional loan.
Alternatively, you can take the course on a part-time basis and work a full-time job to service the tuition fees.
Also, don’t just limit yourself to just a Master or PhD! If pursuing a postgraduate degree seems like overkill, you can always consider making the transition to your desired career sector through a postgraduate conversion course instead.
Is it for me? Yes
• The course will add value to your undergraduate degree • It’ll make you more employable in your own area • A conversion course will qualify you for a different area of work
No
• You’re doing it purely for future salary benefits; most employers don’t pay candidates with postgraduate qualifications with no prior work experience more, except in a specialised field • You’re doing this because you’re not sure about what career path to pursue and want more time to figure things out
