I’ve Graduated; What Next? Establishing Yourself as a Young Professional

By K. McAllister

As a recent graduate, I have found myself facing a dilemma that anyone who has left education and had to enter the workforce comes up against – what’s next? Establishing yourself as a young professional is no easy task.

The most common place to start training for your career is not even in the job itself. Many of us do four years for a bachelor’s degree only to realise that most jobs require more schooling than that. Then it’s back to university for another couple of years to get your master’s. Sounds fun, right? While I want to highlight the importance of education and fully agree with training those for the profession that they want to enter, there does seem to be a redundancy in having to pay several thousands of dollars to begin in an entry-level position.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are those who choose not to attend a post-secondary institution. This doesn’t make it any easier, as most of the time you’re still faced with having to start with an entry-level position while trying to support yourself and your family. 

Now comes the scary part. You’ve done all this work and put all this effort in, but what is it exactly that you want to do? When asking others about how they chose their profession, many say it ‘just happened’. This may sound concerning to some people, myself included, as there is not a lot of stability in ‘just happened’.

In an ever-changing world comes ever-changing jobs. Will this career exist in ten years? Can I realistically survive on the paycheque that it provides? There’s a lot of uncertainty out there. 

There’s also the matter of choosing between a dream job or a realistic one. There are a lucky few that get to combine these and actually do what they want for a living. Some aren’t so lucky. For example, I want to be a writer, but is that going to be sustainable long term? There’s a reason for the expression ‘starving artist’.

Maybe I’ve described things too pessimistically. My glass is always a little too close to half-empty than half-full. Yes, it’s true that the current professional world is always changing. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. Social media, a highly interconnected world, and ever-expanding new industries are giving a lot of people the ability to establish themselves at a young age. I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective, hard work, and a little bit of luck. 

When I sat down at the computer today, I had a hard time deciding how I should end this. The truth is, it’s never really over. You’re always going to have to prove yourself to the world as a professional, and there’s always going to be another hill to climb. Whether you choose to give up or take it in your stride is up to you.

The struggles of trying to establish yourself as a young professional are real. Though starting from the beginning comes with possibility and adventure, it also brings a certain uneasiness and fear. Mistakes are inevitable; you won’t know everything right from the start and that’s okay. Additionally, know your worth. It’s one thing to start humble, but it’s another to take emotional abuse from co-workers and bosses. If I could ask you to remember one thing, it would be that.

The world for new workers is scary and uncertain. With the way that things are right now, I don’t blame you for a lack of faith in our current job economy. You will never know until you start, though. Put yourself out there and take chances while you’re still young. Pick yourself up if you fail and continue to trust yourself.

You can’t keep moving forward if you never even start. So, to the overwhelmed university students, to the new 9-5, and maybe even a couple of aspiring writers: keep establishing yourself. One day, the work will pay off.