Life after Mary’s: what comes next?
A year after graduating university I was asked to write a piece about ‘Life after Mary’s’. Mary’s being the college I called home at university.
This was written to those facing the end of university and the fear of what comes next. To those beginning their next chapter in life. This is for you.
Leaving university is as terrifying as it is exciting. The bubble you have come to love and know is over and there is an impending fear of what comes next.
In March 2020 I found myself living in Canada, unemployed and being moved out of my home. Nine months after graduating, it’s most definitely not where I thought I’d be. So what comes next I have learnt may surprise you.
At the start of my third year, I was overwhelmed by the thought of facing the most challenging year of my degree alongside job applications and the inevitable rejections. I knew this wasn’t what I wanted. So instead of applying for graduate schemes, I applied for my Canadian working holiday visa.
I had only planned to stay in Canada until May, but I chose to stay when Coronavirus reared its head. And now I’ve bought a car and will spend the next few months working on a farm in British Columbia. I’m not where I thought I’d be — but I’m ok with it.
And because of that, I’m going to tell you this: you don’t need to apply for a graduate role right now. If you’re not quite ready then that’s ok.
I too am learning as I would have been on a graduate scheme. But instead of reports, meetings and office politics, I’m learning lessons of independent adult life.
I have just bought a car in a foreign country without the help of my family close by. I have navigated unemployment in a foreign country in the midst of a global pandemic. But most importantly, I have finally learnt to slow down.
Spending my days in breathtaking scenery has encouraged me to appreciate the simple pleasures. After three years under the academic pressure of university, this is so important.
Being at Durham was a unique position where I found myself among some of the smartest and most ambitious minds. This comes with an inevitable comparison to your peers.
So when I moved to Banff I felt relieved. I was far away from home with new people who didn’t care about grades or graduate jobs. Leaving that bubble was what I needed to realise my potential outside of the Durham world.
Being at Mary’s amongst such smart and ambitious minds also taught me to broaden my horizons. The confidence I built in myself at university got me to Canada. Picking up and moving my life far away from home now doesn’t feel so scary.
You can only go as far as you see yourself going, so now I’m asking: where next?
University is the springboard for the next stage in your life as you see it. How you get there, how long it takes or what success looks like is totally up to you. Life may take you where you hadn’t expected. But wherever you arrive will be exactly where you need to be at that point in time.
So if anyone also finds themselves terrified at the idea of the graduate world then it’s ok to choose another path.
This is just the beginning. And although the future may be unknown, allow yourself to be excited about what comes next.
