The Student Room Group

super worried about my future after graduating

hey,

i just finished my first year of uni (software engineering), and all of a sudden i have a feeling like i have 0 clue what to do after uni

im not sure i want to do software development after uni anymore, i want to go into maybe finance or data science, but i still enjoy my degree so i think im gonna finish it

i heard that placement years are super important...but also super competitive so im gonna try to get one..but if i dont manage to secure one then tbh im terrified of graduating without any / much experience, and idk how much experience employers will expect me to have (im sure i cant graduate with NOTHING, but idk i dont have the years of working alongside studying that other people have)

i do have some "tutoring experience"...i tutor my sister so im really not sure if this even counts or would just be laughed at or something..and i am part of societies, but dont have a leadership role there so idk if its worth putting on my cv

i was looking for volunteering positions at least so maybe ill find something but the thought of not finding anything and then graduating with a 1st from a 30-40 place uni (i know this doesnt matter much) and being a unemployable **** kinda just leaves me feeling really bad about myself tbh

so yeah ig my question is am i totally screwed in this situation if i graduate without a lot of experience? and does big4 and other grad employers expect a lot of experience or if i show enthusiasm and willingness to learn and do well on the tests do i have a chance at all ?

i know itll be harder but i guess i just dont wanna fully lose hope lol
So basically you’re nervous because you don’t fully know what you want to do (pragmatically you sound like you want to work in a reputable solid industry with good prospects but you also sound like you don’t have a very strong passion you want to pursue), you’re also worried about having the right CV to do well in graduate recruitment.

1) the career bit: this is very common and is probably most people, often times what most people do in these situations is apply to many avenues as a graduate and then go with the best opportunity. IMO, it is generally better to try and focus on something. I know you have mentioned finance & big-4 but these are compromised of many different types of jobs (you have time to explore but you will do better with a focused goal).

2) these employers do NOT expect much experience, they are offering entry level jobs, they want enthusiastic people who are: smart, motivated, hard working, good communicators, empathetic, integrity (basically fit company values & generally a highly capable person)

3) i. experience and internships will make a HUGE difference, yes placements are competitive but you can take control of the situation. In freshers week of second year go & meet with your unis careers team (take a cv with you), try and find some example placement year opportunities and perhaps even draw up a first take cover letter.
ii. You can go on websites such as https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience & theforage.com & do “virtual work experiences” today, and companies you have mentioned i.e. big 4 (ey, pwc, kpmg, deloitte) will ALL have these! These will give you some great stuff for your cv ahead of placement year & graduate job applications
iii start applying for placement years early, do a lot of prep for every virtual interview & online test (it is very tedious), you will get a lot of rejections & feelings of wasted time but it’s not, it’s just part of the process
iiii. Make sure you apply to different size companies: yes go for the big multinationals (but theybare crazy competitive) also apply to medium size companies, and regional boutique smaller ones. With a placement year you really looking to learn & develop and this is more important
v. Find all the networking & careers fairs going on at your university
vi. Maybe find a local charity or event going on & volunteer - this stuff really helps expand your understanding of the world, gives you stuff to talk about in interviews & looks good

Try not to worry, rather then feeling anxious or concerned use that as a fuel to push yourself into being a proactive person getting on with putting yourself in a better position. The fact you’re thinking of this stuff now puts you ahead of the curve on graduate recruitment.

Also check out:
Bright network
Gradcracker
Reply 2
So basically you’re nervous because you don’t fully know what you want to do (pragmatically you sound like you want to work in a reputable solid industry with good prospects but you also sound like you don’t have a very strong passion you want to pursue), you’re also worried about having the right CV to do well in graduate recruitment.
1) the career bit: this is very common and is probably most people, often times what most people do in these situations is apply to many avenues as a graduate and then go with the best opportunity. IMO, it is generally better to try and focus on something. I know you have mentioned finance & big-4 but these are compromised of many different types of jobs (you have time to explore but you will do better with a focused goal).
2) these employers do NOT expect much experience, they are offering entry level jobs, they want enthusiastic people who are: smart, motivated, hard working, good communicators, empathetic, integrity (basically fit company values & generally a highly capable person)
3) i. experience and internships will make a HUGE difference, yes placements are competitive but you can take control of the situation. In freshers week of second year go & meet with your unis careers team (take a cv with you), try and find some example placement year opportunities and perhaps even draw up a first take cover letter.
ii. You can go on websites such as https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience & theforage.com & do “virtual work experiences” today, and companies you have mentioned i.e. big 4 (ey, pwc, kpmg, deloitte) will ALL have these! These will give you some great stuff for your cv ahead of placement year & graduate job applications
iii start applying for placement years early, do a lot of prep for every virtual interview & online test (it is very tedious), you will get a lot of rejections & feelings of wasted time but it’s not, it’s just part of the process
iiii. Make sure you apply to different size companies: yes go for the big multinationals (but theybare crazy competitive) also apply to medium size companies, and regional boutique smaller ones. With a placement year you really looking to learn & develop and this is more important
v. Find all the networking & careers fairs going on at your university
vi. Maybe find a local charity or event going on & volunteer - this stuff really helps expand your understanding of the world, gives you stuff to talk about in interviews & looks good
Try not to worry, rather then feeling anxious or concerned use that as a fuel to push yourself into being a proactive person getting on with putting yourself in a better position. The fact you’re thinking of this stuff now puts you ahead of the curve on graduate recruitment.
Also check out:
Bright network
Gradcracker

hey thanks so much! that really helped calm me down, and also gave some perspdctive so thank you!

yeah, i guess my main "worries' came from kinda having a passion..and then slowly over a year seeing that passion slowly go away a bit , and then also seeing lots of people complain about the market and all of that kinda took its toll on me

i guess i was also stressed about comparing myself to others..where they do lots of internships and/or have idk more respected? part time jobs while all i had was tutoring a family member lol -
but for sure when september comes ill look for internships/placement years (im in the east midlands tho so im not sure if theres anything like within 2hrs - and idk if moving to london for a couple months is worth it, but if i have to i will 😆 - i guess this is where the fear of me not getting a placement comes from , i dont necessarily wanna move super far for it)

i guess maybe i over estimate what employers really want, because i see some things luke "grads with no experience have no chance in the job market" and people getting firsts but being unemployed for years - but i suppose this could be exaggerated a bit, and an exception - or at least not totally the norm?

but yeah thanks for taking the time to respond! i was using the question as kinda a way to just write how i feel, but thanks for the advice! ill try and act on it and see how it goes :smile:, i still have 2 years so idk if i have to panic as much as i have lol

also sorry for writing so much maybe xD
Original post by Al3x235
hey thanks so much! that really helped calm me down, and also gave some perspdctive so thank you!
yeah, i guess my main "worries' came from kinda having a passion..and then slowly over a year seeing that passion slowly go away a bit , and then also seeing lots of people complain about the market and all of that kinda took its toll on me
i guess i was also stressed about comparing myself to others..where they do lots of internships and/or have idk more respected? part time jobs while all i had was tutoring a family member lol -
but for sure when september comes ill look for internships/placement years (im in the east midlands tho so im not sure if theres anything like within 2hrs - and idk if moving to london for a couple months is worth it, but if i have to i will 😆 - i guess this is where the fear of me not getting a placement comes from , i dont necessarily wanna move super far for it)
i guess maybe i over estimate what employers really want, because i see some things luke "grads with no experience have no chance in the job market" and people getting firsts but being unemployed for years - but i suppose this could be exaggerated a bit, and an exception - or at least not totally the norm?
but yeah thanks for taking the time to respond! i was using the question as kinda a way to just write how i feel, but thanks for the advice! ill try and act on it and see how it goes :smile:, i still have 2 years so idk if i have to panic as much as i have lol
also sorry for writing so much maybe xD

I would say graduate recruitment is fiercely competitive but most people who don’t secure jobs it’s more due to a lack of planning, and strategy.

The main thing is grasping hold of the situation and being proactive.

Imagine this:
Between now & freshers week you:

Find a few example placement year jobs (look at previous year advertisements to see the type of stuff that exists)

Do one or two virtual internships in this area at a potential company you want to apply for

Craft a cv & cover letter

Have a bright network account ready to go

Support a charity event

Then in freshers week you go speak with your universities careers team with your cv/cover letter & potential jobs of interest, they will help you re-form these & polish them up

Then October-End of year you set time aside every day to apply for placement years as well as doing the preparation/online test/interviews then you have grasped hold of the situation.

Then hopefully some time between March & May you will have some interviews & maybe a placement offer!

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