Life After Graduation: the reality
I graduated with a degree in psychology last year. It was the most exciting and relieving day of my life! During the time from my last exam to graduation day, I was erratically applying for psychology roles believing it would be a pretty straight forward path. After all, I had worked extremely hard over four years. Why wouldn’t it be easy for me to use my degree in its field? Studying for a degree was the golden fast-track to pursuing a well-paid and sustainable job wasn’t it?
I was finally successful in securing my first graduate role an Assistant Psychologist in Norfolk. YAY! My hard work had eventually paid off. How wrong I was. I wasn’t treated as I should’ve been in that job, so I resigned after six months. I wasn’t going to settle for less than what I deserved so I moved back to Birmingham. Seven months and nine interviews later, I’m wondering if my degree even means anything? Did I really work myself to the bone (physically and mentally) to struggle to find a job in something I’ve got knowledge and experience in? Since graduation, I have been consumed with overwhelming feelings of rejection, confusion, loneliness, anger and low mood. I’m still frustrated at how I was led to believe that the transition into the working world of psychology would be fairly smooth considering I’ve got the knowledge, work experience and transferrable skills. I was fed a false narrative that psychology is an easily accessible sector in dire need of hardworking professionals. I’ve since figured that it is the most competitive, underfunded and undervalued field to conquer.
My confidence and self-esteem had plummeted. I spent a lot of time comparing myself to other graduates (which I now know was unhelpful). I asked myself many questions. Who am I now that I’m no longer a student? How long am I going to be unemployed for? What do I do about my finances? Why wasn’t I getting hired? Why have others had such an easy ride of life after graduation and I hadn’t?
I’ve since come to realise that this is the reality of life after graduation for many of us and it can be incredibly frustrating and stressful. It almost feels unjust. The transition from being a full-time student to a graduate trying to navigate your way through the ‘real’ world is a major stressor. It comprises of a cocktail of emotions and experiences (including setbacks). For those who are feeling the same way and are reading this, it is ok that you haven’t got to where you expected to be just yet. I can guarantee that you are not alone in how you are feeling. Not everyone finds stability in the first few months or year or even few years post-graduation. We’re all working to our own unique timeline. The most important thing is, is that you find the strength to ride out the waves. The struggles you’re experiencing is a test of endurance and use of adaptive coping skills and it will improve your resilience. Use this time to create new opportunities for yourself, develop your CV, take up a new hobby and most importantly practice self-care!
Don’t be too hard on yourself in an already difficult world. You will get to where you want and deserve to be eventually!
