Graduation from college or from university gives rise to a copious amount of emotions, both good and bad.
There’s the wistful side: Sadness to be leaving behind friends you’ve made over the prior number of years; sadness that this exciting part of life has come to an end. And, you may be feeling lost or overwhelmed about what’s going to happen next.
There’s also the happier side: Hopefully, you’ve achieved a lot academically; there’s the excitement of a new horizon just ahead and what life may bring to you in future.
You may like it or you may not, but the “real” world now beckons. It’s time to move on, and it’s time to launch your career.
There’s no argument that gaining work experience is of potential benefit. It looks good on your resume and it’s the sort of experience that could prove to be valuable for your career.
Nevertheless, is it a good idea for you to gain work experience prior to diving into a career of choice?
Let’s consider the advantages and disadvantages of gaining work experience after you’ve graduated.
Advantages of Work Experience
1 A boost to your resume
For those that graduate, on average, that would be someone at the age of around 21-23, writing a resume can prove to be a real challenge.
Rather than being concise, as would normally be the case of someone who is in their 40s, the average graduate must embellish, in a good way of course, their experience in one way or another.
With regards to the Work section of a resume, having had the experience of a work placement will go a long way to helping out. At least in terms of providing some insurance that your resume is not going to be among the ones that get trashed at the first hurdle.
2 Adaptability
For the most part, graduates have a tendency to follow through on their original passions when it comes to moving onto a career after college/ university.
Nevertheless, jobs can be hard to come by for some.
As such, for some, it’s a valid approach to aim to branch out and away from the focus of their studies.
What’s more, there are others that simply have had quite enough and they really want to get away from their original choice – find work in a field that is entirely different to the focus of their degree course.
With some work experience under your belt, it provides that opportunity to find work that is not related to your degree.
Once you gain work experience in a totally different field, it will help you to feel confident about your future options in terms of landing a job.
3 Ready for the challenge
After you’ve graduated through the initial aspects of the job-hiring process, there’s the impending interview to consider.
This is where you’ll be questioned about your knowledge and your current abilities.
To some extent, you can fall back on the experience you gained while studying.
Nevertheless, there’s every chance that having real-life work experience is the only way you’ll progress to being among the final few potential candidates.
Interview questions that are competency based, a particularly popular line of questioning by HR professionals, help interviewers to learn how you’ve managed to utilize your skills in the “real” world.
Work experience after graduation will cater to you providing these types of examples.
In turn, potential employers will realize your true worth; you’ll be able to demonstrate that you have what it takes to succeed.
4 It’s time to do something
After your final exams are done, you can relax, you can party.
Why not?
You’ll definitely deserve it, after all that hard work and stress.
Nevertheless, even the most avid party animal might find it tricky to fill out the time adequately between the date of graduation and the date of finding work.
So, it makes good sense to do something worthwhile in the meantime. And that “something worthwhile” could be a work placement.
What’s more, as opposed to doing nothing with your time, as mentioned, the fact that you’ve gone out there and found work looks good to any potential employer on your resume.
Disadvantages of Work Experience After Graduation
1 Is the work placement paid?
It’s not unusual that work placements are unpaid positions.
Now, that scenario might scream “slave labor” at you. And you’ve every reason to feel hard done by.
Not all graduates can afford to take up such a position that is unpaid, even if only for a few months.
After all, student loans are not free. There’s interest to be paid.
Nevertheless, if you can afford to do unpaid work, there are definite benefits to be had.
What’s more, many employers do offer a relatively small wage, while others will provide you with free meals and expenses reimbursement.
2 Being young doesn’t last forever
With the end of college/ university, it’s an excellent opportunity to have a break and head out on the road for some travel experience.
While you very likely have wracked up sizable debts from years of studying, you still haven’t bought a house, a car – added additional debts. And you still haven’t taken on family commitments that would tie you down.
Hence, you are currently free to balance out maturity with responsibility.
For most of us, family commitment and the responsibility of having a career block the way to enjoying lengthy travel opportunities.
Thus, giving some priority to traveling just after graduating is very appealing.