So you’re excited… you’ve worked hard for 4… 5… 6 long years and the time has finally come. Time to get that shiny little ring. Time to get your piece of paper and those “BASc” initials after your name. Time to attend your last class, write your last exam… it’s a whirlwind of excitement and soon it will be over.
At some point along the line it hits you: the moment of panic. “What now???” The “real world” is out there waiting for you. With the “real world” comes the Great Job Search. Oh, and once you get that job you’re expected to stick around for more than 4 months. All those friends you’ve made over the past 5 years? Yeah, they’re all going their own separate ways. Oh, and that lovely OSAP you’ve come to know and love? Not only are they not going to give you money any more, but they actually want you to start paying it back! Even if you’re desperate to leave university behind you and move on with your life, this is still a scary time and anyone who tells you they’re not a little bit intimidated by it is either a liar, has not yet reached their 4B term, or hasn’t yet realized what’s happening to them.
If something I’ve said so far sounds familiar, please continue reading and I will try to provide you with a cheat sheet to help you pass “Life 101″s first exam. I can’t promise you any magical outcome – I can’t find you a job, pay off your OSAP for you, or make distances between you and your friends disappear. I can, however, offer some tips and tricks that I’ve picked up from my own experiences thus far in the “real world”.
If, on the other hand, you think I just sound like a paranoid weirdo and none of this seems relevant to you, I suggest setting this issue aside and waiting a few months… the article will still be here when you’re ready for it, and I can assure you it will be just as relevant.
1) Don’t Panic. If I were to sum up this article in two words, I would write the words “Don’t Panic” in “large, friendly letters” across the page. Just remember that many of us have already been there, and we turned out just fine. We still know how to party. We still have friends. We are still learning about ourselves and learning about life and having fun. Just breathe.
2) If you’ve already found a job, congratulations! You are one step ahead of the rest of us. If not, don’t worry! You’ve still got time, and there is plenty you can do in the meantime to help prepare yourself for the “real world”. Talk to recent grads that you know. Talk to past co-op employers. Attend job fairs and information sessions, and find out what’s out there! And if you’ve got a few months to spend before you find work, don’t forget to take some time to relax and enjoy your time off – you deserve it!
3) …which brings me to my next point: balance. The “real world” is all about balance. As a co-op student, this seems to come fairly naturally: 4 months of hard partying/studying is balanced out by the next 4 months of working and making a bit of cash. In the “real world” you are responsible for your own balance. Spend money, and enjoy spending money, but remember to keep it within your means. Don’t be afraid to take a few months off if you can – remember that once you are working you WILL start to make money back. You’ve got the rest of your life to pay off your debt as long as you keep it reasonable. Want to travel but don’t have a lot of money to spend? Try a backpacking trip. Or, better yet, go on a “working vacation” where you can pay your bills as you travel.* Once you’re working, work hard while you’re there but don’t let yourself get so lost in your work that you forget to have fun. You may have been able to keep that up throughout your co-op terms, but after 4 months of that you will find yourself moving quickly towards burnout…
4) Maintain a strong social network. Don’t let yourself be isolated. In school, you are always surrounded by peers, some of whom are your close friends, and some of whom you may not get along so well with. Either way, social contact is pretty close to mandatory in a university environment. In the “real world” it is up to you to forge and foster social connections. “Get a life!” Take up a new hobby. Join a rec sports league in your neighborhood. Join a volunteer organization and meet new people. The possibilities are endless, but it’s up to you to find one and go for it… it may just help to keep you sane!
5) Don’t stop learning. No, I’m not telling you that you have to go to grad school, or take another degree in something. And no, you don’t need to ever pick up a textbook again (except maybe as reference material on the job somewhere). Remember that once you are out of school, you can learn what you WANT, not what your professors and textbooks tell you that you have to learn. So try to learn a new skill. Start a “bucket list” and work your way through it one item/month. Read the news. Take a cooking class or learn a new language. Subscribe to a magazine. Whatever you choose, I strongly suggest finding something that you are passionate about learning and pursue it. Not only will this keep your mind sharp, but you may also find that once again learning becomes fun. Plus, the longer you go without pushing your brain, the harder it will be to pick things up in the workplace when you need to!
*Many countries offer reciprocal “working travel visas”, where young Canadians (or citizens of other participating countries) can spend several months up to a year traveling another country with a work visa that allows you to pick up short-term jobs to help you pay the bills. Many will also help you to find temporary work during your travels.
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