After spending several years in school, you emerge with a bachelor’s degree, and you don a cap and gown for the special occasion. Receiving your degree is a big moment, and it is one that you have worked hard to reach. But recent graduates can feel lost as to what to do next. If you feel that way, this guide is coming at the right time. Here are suggestions for you after Getting a Bachelor’s Degree
Continue with Your Education
Keep going! Many students want to delve deeper into a specific academic area, so they continue with an advanced degree program.
For example, you can enroll in an online Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, even if your bachelor’s degree is not in a related subject. Baylor University’s online accelerated BSN programs for non nurses incorporates 62 hours of nursing courses in a full-time format. With a combination of online classes, clinical and lab experiences, and interactive learning classes, the curriculum is exciting, interesting, and highly educational.
By extending your education by only a year, you can gain the skills to be a practicing nurse. Having a BSN opens amazing job opportunities for you, and it’s likely easier to pursue that path now rather than returning to school in a year or two when you might have additional responsibilities.
Get an Internship
Another option as a new grad is to pursue an internship with a promising company. Becoming an intern can have many benefits, including helping you decide if you are in a role that will be enough to satisfy you for years to come.
An internship can also give you insights about a specific organization, from how they treat staff to what you can expect as an annual salary in the desired position. You can also gain valuable information about a certain industry to help you decide if it’s a place you want to work in moving forward.
Finally, an internship can lead to a job when the employer notices your hard work and rewards you with an offer of employment. However, being an intern is not without its downsides. It can be a lot of work for very little pay or no pay at all.
A more valuable way to spend time may be taking online accelerated BSN programs for non-nurses that take less than a year to completion. When you graduate, you will have the skillset to be an RN who is in-demand and helps others by providing essential medical care. The patients you meet can enhance your life as much as you support theirs.
Take a Year to Travel
This decision is often known as taking a “gap year.” A year taken off work or school to travel can provide you with insights into yourself and the world that can be pivotal in your life.
What you learn on trips to other countries or even locally can provide you with a better understanding of other points of view and a deeper appreciation for other cultures. Along the way, you will likely make new friendships and become more confident in yourself.
You might develop new skills, such as learning how to cook a certain type of cuisine. The situations you come across can also help you become a better problem-solver, which is an attribute that will help you in a future job.
Unfortunately, some employers will not appreciate that you have a year without any work experience on your resume. Plus, you might need to go back to school to update your skills after taking a year off, depending on the speed of changes in the relevant industry. Plus, you will not likely be making any money during this year off, which can mean that you feel stressed about money and must limit your adventures on a tight budget.
Start Working at a Job
Finally, you can start working after getting your bachelor’s degree, no matter what the discipline was that you studied. Getting a jump on your career rather than taking a gap year can mean that you start to enjoy savings and begin working your way up in the chosen industry sooner.
On the other hand, you might not be confident yet that you are in the right field. It can become all too easy to start working full-time and lose track of the days, then see a year go by without feeling a sense of purpose at work.
In this case, you might feel like you are not meeting your potential. That’s especially true when you are starting at the bottom in a certain field.
If you are lost, you could try and find a job that offers more purpose. For instance, you could enter the healthcare field as a nurse who is helping others daily. When you have worked so hard for your bachelor’s degree and aren’t sure what to do next, turning to a career that offers purpose and fulfillment can provide you with a better sense of direction.
Final Words on What to Do When You’re Feeling Lost
As you finish a bachelor’s degree, there are likely many conflicting emotions within you. While you are likely enthusiastic about reaching your goal – and you ought to be proud! – you are likely also feeling it is a bittersweet moment.
The school experience is a great one, between learning, making friends, and forming relationships with professors, as well as working toward your career goal. When it comes to an end, you are not alone in feeling sad.
In this case, continuing with your education might be the best next step. You can learn more about yourself, as well as exploring career opportunities.
Whatever you decide to do, you will know when it feels right. The path you take will be one that determines your career and will involve work that you do for many years. Taking joy in what you do is going to show in the enthusiasm and drive you over the years.
