If you are finding this article because you just graduated, let me be the first to congratulate you. The all-nighters, excessive stress, and frustration has finally paid off. You just finished walking across the stage with your cap and gown. Degree in hand, You realize that you have no plan to get into your industry of choice. You have questions. You probably wish you figured out your post-college plans while you were in school.
Hopefully, you are finding this before you walk across the stage. Whether you planned ahead or not, VP Legacies is here to be your guide and coach through the process. The three most important topics for your post-college plans are Understanding Yourself, Presenting Yourself, and Finding Mentors.
Understanding Yourself
Until you graduate, you can feel like you’re on a treadmill that never stops. To achieve your goals, you need to perform well at High School, secure a high GPA, collect a variety of extracurricular interests, secure a place at college and, finally, graduate with a shiny, new diploma.
When you become a post-grad, however, the world opens up, and you can choose from a wider variety of opportunities. Understanding yourself and building a stronger relationship with yourself is the key to making the most of these opportunities and deciding which paths to follow. If you understand yourself, you will have the confidence required to execute your plan.
We created a community of recent graduates who are ready to own their life after college and go from FML to HFY in 8-weeks. We call this Personal Connection Boot Camp aka #PCBC and focus on understanding yourself throughout our program. Week 1 we ask you to create goals and aspirations for yourself. For a lot of people this is the first time they have really dug into what they want in their lives instead of basing their life on what society and other external pressures are telling them. To learn more and see if this program is a good fit for you sign up for an interview with one of our founders today.
Presenting Yourself
Getting experience in your chosen field is crucial to your future success. If taking an unpaid internship isn’t an option, look for other ways to gain experience in your industry. A part-time role in your profession may not be what you dreamed of, but it will give you a path to working full-time in your field. These minor jobs, like internships and part-time offerings, can provide you with skill-building opportunities to take the next step while not financially stable. These opportunities can also help you build relationships to progress.
Alternatively, taking a job that’s unrelated to your ultimate career choice might be the right way forward. Depending on your financial situation, you may be able to save enough money to cover your living expenses so that you’re ready to take an internship later. The purpose of this choice is to build up some financial stability so you can take a risk to create more opportunities for yourself. As a pre-graduation move, an internship could set you up for immediate success.
Are you worried your current experience won’t get you into the career you are aiming for? Remember – no work experience is bad experience, so don’t worry if your first job role isn’t directly related to your ultimate career goals. Use the opportunity to learn as much as possible and focus on developing transferable skills that will help you to advance.
Once we set the foundation of what your goals are in week 1, we empower you to focus on daily habits in week 2. Things get even better in week 3 when we tell you that the confusion you may feel in your life is not your fault, it is how society has made you feel. Once we get to week 7 you are ready to own your career and utilize the super power we teach out throughout our whole course, personal connection. Specifically in week 7 and 8 we tackle career head on by helping you define career fulfillment for yourself. Jonny “The King of Burpees” and Hector “The Greek” share their journeys on how they were able to create their perfect careers. Talk to one of them today to hear more.
Develop a Personal Brand
If you thought branding was for startups and businesses, think again. Developing a personal brand will give you a unique focus and teach you to hone your abilities and polish your skills. While a strong brand will help you secure the job you’re after, this approach offers benefits outside the workplace.
By incorporating social activities, hobbies, and extracurricular activities into your brand, you allow yourself to develop new interests, specialize in particular fields, and extend your personal and professional network. If you love mountain climbing, for example, joining an established club, traveling to new locations, and creating online content to share with other climbers could help develop this aspect of your brand. As well as giving you a personal goal and a varied social life, you’ll have the chance to gain life experience and develop skills that will benefit you in many situations.
When you’re applying for jobs and trying to sell yourself, it’s easy to reshape your personality to fit the mold. Although it’s natural to showcase your character’s best elements in these situations, you’ll want to stay true to yourself. If you have a strong personal brand to rely on, you’ll feel more confident, self-assured, and relaxed as you present yourself to other people.
If you don’t know wheree to start, that’s okay. Our 8-week program empowers you to focus on setting personal goals for yourself (week 1) and discover who you are (week 4). In addition, you will be able to work with other students in your same situation and have weekly coaching. Sign up for a time to talk to a coach to learn more.
Beware of Social Media
If your social media accounts are full of college student antics and posts about how unprepared you are for your finals, it might be time to rethink your online presence. Today’s recruiters always search for applicants online as part of their due diligence, so you’ll want to set your accounts to private and make sure only your nearest and dearest can see what you’ve been doing. Better still, remove anything you wouldn’t want your future colleagues to see or suspend your accounts for a little while.
Another reason to beware of social media is because of the impact it can have on your confidence and well-being. If all of your friends seem to be flying high and going from one success after another, it’s hard not to get disheartened. However, people tend to post their highlights on social media, rather than the messy, day-to-day reality of your life. Try not to compare what you’re seeing on someone’s channel to your own life because they have just as hard a time as you.
One of our mottos in Personal Connection Boot Camp is “stop comparing yourself to others.” by entering our program you will go from FML to HFY in less than 8 weeks.
Find Inspiring Mentors
Navigating the post-graduate world can be tricky, mainly if you don’t attain your goals as quickly as you want. Mentors can be an incredible resource for avoiding mistakes, Growing both professionally and privately. You do not need to make everyone in your field who has more experience than you a mentor. Mentors in your corner can be a considerable strength. Knowing someone else who has been in your position and gone on to be successful can be all you need to remind yourself that things will get better. Post-college success will not happen right after graduation, but hard work and perseverance will always move you in the right direction.
Remember, it’s important not to treat mentorship as a one-way street. While you stand to gain a lot from having a mentor, be sure to add value to the relationship. Furthermore, return the kindness and pay it forward as you progress in your post-graduate life and act as a mentor for newer post-grads looking for support and guidance as they find their way.
At VP Legacies, We help college graduates go from “f*** my life” to “hell f***ing yeah, so they can own their life after college without worrying about their career, finances or personal relationships. Sign up for an interview with one of our co-founders today to see if #PCBC is a fit for you.