Another route for students to take is the entrepreneur route, where they can start their own businesses so that they are self-employed from when they graduate.
Check out one of our alumni who took this graduate pathway - Maddie! Her vlog discusses how she made a start with her career journey, why she chose this route and tips for future graduates hoping to do the same
Many students feel pressured to apply for graduate schemes or jobs labelled ‘entry level’ when they are graduating and entering the working world – this does not need to be the case. As a graduate you have lots of skills and are not restricted by what type of job you can apply to. If you feel as though you have gained enough skills through previous voluntary or part time positions, or even through your degree, you can apply to that job.
On top of this, there is no pressure to apply to a job that is linked to your degree. You might just be looking for some office experience, or maybe starting with a role or field that could transition you into a position you want for a longer period later down the line. Your first job after graduating does not need to be the perfect one – any experience is positive experience. There can sometimes be a pattern in graduates of waiting for the perfect opportunity to come along and in the meantime either they move back home, or they feel as though they need to do part time work whilst they wait. No employer will be confused if you are working in an administrative role for your first few months out of university whilst you continue searching for a role more aligned with your degree or career interests.
General Sites:
Here are some useful job searching websites to get yourself started with:
https://www.milkround.com/
https://targetjobs.co.uk/
https://www.giveagradago.com/
https://www.cv-library.co.uk/
https://uk.linkedin.com/
https://graduateland.com/jobs?limit=10&offset=0
Be conscious of costs:
There are a lot of costs when setting up your own business, greater than just the ability to deliver the product or service. What will your marketing be? Do you need to pay for a website domain? Have you considered corporation tax? What travel costs will this involve?
Write an itinerary and go through any hidden costs that could come up and how you may budget for them – hence why point 1 on this list is important to consider. Shop around for your best options, and consider hiring an accountant to help manage all of this.