What to do when you don't know what to do after graduating

When I finished high school, the two distinct things I remember feeling was relief that it was all over and panic about what I would do next.

You see, I always had plans to study further, but by the time I enrolled at college I had no idea what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Because I was so indecisive, I initially made a decision based on where I assumed the money would be: Information Technology. 

Right up until the end before someone suggested I try Multimedia Technology instead – I couldn’t help but think that I set myself up for failure.

If I hadn’t had the last minute help and guidance that I did, I would have, without a doubt failed.

The problem I found, and I’ve written about this previously, is that I felt the pressure to jump straight into another learning institution because a) it was expected of me and b) I was frightened by the prospect that I would become lazy if I didn’t.

In hindsight, I really believe that I should have taken a gap year – because even if I still didn’t know what I wanted out of life, it certainly would have given me a taste of what I didn’t want in life.

And I think that many young graduates in South Africa can relate to this. 

What I feel makes this harder is the fact that many young adults in South Africa feel under pressure to pick a university and go into a field immediately because the longer they wait, the less opportunities will be available in a climate where job availability seems to be so scarce.

So what do you do?

How do you choose a field when a) you’re not sure in which direction you want to go and b) when you feel the pressure to make a random selection, because doing anything is better than doing nothing?

We reached out to Karel van der Molen, attorney, Human Resource Practitioner and lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch, who provided us with some key insights and solutions that could help South African students figure out the best path for them.

A key point to note, says Karel, is that so often, “people are influenced by family to enter a particular industry, or follow the career choice of their friends because they think that they will enjoy that career as well.”

But just because someone else does something that looks great – even if it’s something that you’ve seen on TV that is created to look like fun –  does not necessarily mean that it’s suited to you.

Firstly, and this almost seems trite to say it, but one must “know oneself”. 

• It is important that we take a hard look at ourselves and consider objectively what our strengths and areas for improvement are.
• Realise what you are good at and what you can do and not do and consider how this would affect your future careers (or the possible career/s that you’re thinking about). 

Seek advice:

“One practical step that one take is to consult with career counsellor in your area. There are many private career counsellors, while all the universities have a career counselling service which members of the public can also utilise.”

Counsellors help by:

• Conducting a series of assessments and evaluations of personality and aptitude tests and interest assessments,
• Providing an individual feedback session, as well as a written report of the results and recommendations. 

This in turn, helps the undecided individual determine what type of career is best suited to him/her. And in doing so, Karel says that “they are then able to offer a variety of options and also to provide information on the studies and training which might be required, if any.

“My experience is that this is indeed a very good option. There is usually a cost involved, but given the potential assistance that this intervention can provide, it is well worth the expense.”