What's Next? Life After Graduation?

Ah....breath of fresh air..... By now you would had tasted the sweet smell of freedom. How i wish that i could go back a few years back to relive this experience. I remembered when i first finished my last exam paper.

Then it came to me what's next? What should i do what must i do? I do have a few plans  but nothing concrete to do what i really do know that i want to do something crazy like building a business for myself which has been part of my dream for awhile or just be be part of a startup, become a salesman. 

I know your currently feeling really scary and afraid to fail. I totally understand that cause i was literally in the same shoe as you when i first graduated from university 2 years back.

Back then I had lot's of plans in my mind to do something amazing, by taking risk to do something for myself. Which let me learnt a lot of things about myself that i didn't know that i could do it In just one or two years.

I had picked up a lot of stuff from basic property management, adult education, STEM education for kids,  Startup pitch facilitator, winning first place in a MIT healthcare hackathon, rising money out of nothing except a idea.

Here's 3 advice to fresh graduates that i that i had learnt in past 2 years going through my own failures and success: 

Screw it, Let's Do it 

I always love the quote from Sir Richard Branson "Screw it, Let's Do It". Cause it forces you to adopt yourself to be a action oriented person even when you fear that you will fail.

Remember you learn something of yourself and about the world from each and every action you take. 

Have a Odyssey Plan

I came across this Odyssey planning by reading a book called "Designing Your Own Life" by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.

It talks about career planning by simulating that your industry or job is no longer relevant overnight. Which requires you to think of 3 alternative paths in your life in 5 years time without restricting yourself in what you can do. I use that i tried my hands on a few things which lead me to what i had been doing now. So give it a go.

Believe in Yourself

I know it might sound weird in telling you this. Just that it can't be emphasised enough about it. Everyone develops something called Imposter Syndrome whenever your in a new job or had just accomplished something like say graduating from university. Imposter syndrome is just a feeling of self doubt about self that your not good enough for something.

Just remember that everyone goes through it as well and it's totally normal. This is actually useful as it forces you to be aware of your inadequate when your applying for a internship or job in a company. 

Which will lead you to work harder, learn things that helps you become a more all rounded person as a whole. That was what had happened to me, which lead me in taking up a React Nanodegree from Udacity.

Links

Designing Your Own Life https://designingyour.life/the-book/

Imposter Syndrome https://www.fastcompany.com/40421352/the-five-types-of-impostor-syndrome-and-how-to-beat-them 

React Nanodegree https://www.udacity.com/course/react-nanodegree--nd019