28/05/2020

So You've Finished University... Now What?


If you'd asked me six months ago what I would be doing after I finished at university, my answer would be very simple: I'd have a job ready and waiting for me and I'd be moving in with my boyfriend. You see, I'm the kind of person who likes to have everything clearly planned out in my head and the thought of not knowing is super daunting. When I did my gap year, I already had my place at uni sorted. When I applied for my placement year, I was one of the first to get a job sorted. And I thought finishing university would be the same. I have good grades from a good university and a year of relevant experience so I wasn't overly worried about finding an entry level role in Marketing.



But then Coronavirus came along and threw a pretty big spanner in the works. As businesses went online and furloughed staff, the job market pretty much closed up. I managed to apply for about 5 jobs in April but didn't hear back from any of them. At this point I was starting to get a bit anxious - I don't deal well with not having a plan, and for the first time in my life I felt like everything was running away from me and I was being left behind. I should also add that I know I'm lucky: I have a roof over my head and don't need to worry about paying bills right now, which is more than a lot of people. (Apart from the student property I will have shelled out £1500+ not to have even lived in for the last three months... no I'm not salty why do you ask?).

But as my exams finished and I handed in my dissertation I started worrying more and more about what the future held. I really didn't want to end up back working in retail full time. (If you've been following me for a few years, I worked in Boots full time during my gap year and whilst it wasn't a terrible experience, it would seem like a waste of £30,000+ on university if I ended up back where I started.) So I started looking into other options which eventually led me into deciding to do a masters. I really enjoy education and learning new things and the combination of doing a masters, working part time and still having some time to focus on my Instagram / blog seemed like a fantastic idea. 

So where am I now? I'm currently in the process of applying to universities with my absolute favourite being Bristol. It's a super competitive course and university so please keep your fingers crossed for me! As soon as I get (hopefully!) get offered a place, I'm going to try and apply to get a part time job in retail to fund the next year of my life and then spend the rest of summer doing a mix of working and focusing on my social media. Eventually I want to be able to do this as a full time career and whether that is in 2 years or 10 years, having the extra time to focus on learning new things like SEO and optimising Pinterest for web traffic will be super beneficial. I'm also lucky enough that I'm still able to move in with my boyfriend which is a massive bonus for me and I'm so excited for the next chapter of our lives together!


So that's it. Thank you for reading this more personal post! Let me know if you enjoyed it or if I should stick to more informative content - personally I'm really nosy so I love getting a look into other people's lives! 

If you're graduating this summer, let me know how you're getting on? Have you got a job sorted? Are you going back into further education or just waiting for this to blow over and see what happens then?

I'll be back on Sunday with a new post! x 

Lily x


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14 comments

  1. I have just finished my A levels (although there was no exam so...!) and I am lucky enough to have my apprenticeship still lined up for me. I like the more personal posts. I think it is great that you're working on your blog rn, I am doing the same. Good luck getting into your dream uni, you got this!!

    Em x

    https://www.loveemblog.com/2020/05/georganics-zero-waste-oral-care.html

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    1. Congrats on finishing! It's an amazing achievement even if you didn't sit the exams in the end! Thank you so much! Good luck to you as well :) x

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  2. This post really reminded me of where I was a year ago when I graduated. Like you I normally had everything sorted, I even had a job in London ready for me until my Granddad got sick and I had to stay home to help with his care. I can't imagine what it be like finishing Uni with everything that is going on but I think you're doing great! I have my fingers crossed for you for Bristol!

    acupofwonderland.com

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    1. Thank you so much <3 I'm so sorry to hear about your granddad, I hope he's doing better x

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  3. Fingers crossed for you and your masters course! Sounds like you're going to have a good balance.
    Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk

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  4. I really relate to this - I'm in a very similar situation! At first I was anxious about the pandemic taking my dream of getting a grad job away from me but I think it's been a blessing in disguise. Once I embraced the idea of taking some time out to do what I want to do then I became a lot happier.

    thevioletjournal.com

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    1. I completely agree with you! It made me so nervous and even now there really isn't anything. But now that I've had time to reevaluate everything, I don't feel so bad x

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  5. The pandemic caused a large economic rip. Good luck with all of the universities you have applied to! It is great that you're making use of your time by learning SEO and Pinterest! Hope things will work out on your end!

    Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me

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    1. I know - and I'm worried the economy won't recover any time soon and so many people will suffer because of it :/ Thanks so much babe x

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  6. Good luck to you on your new journey! Coronavirus definitely threw us all off, but I hope you are able to enjoy what life has to offer you now!
    -Charity https://morningsonmacedonia.com

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  7. Such a relatable read! I've just finished my second year of university and am absolutely bricking it at the thought of graduating in just under a year from now! Coronavirus has kind of put a stop on a lot of postgrad open days though which is a shame, hopefully I'll get the chance to go when restrictions are lifted. xx
    El // welshwanderer.com

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    1. Thank you :) I completely agree - everything is so scary! Good luck with final year and fingers crossed everything will be a bit more normal this time next year! x

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