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About Life After College
by Caitlin Kelly
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Overview
About Life After College
American college students spend four years of their lives working and studying hard, writing research papers and interning. When graduation day finally comes, many students are excited, but many also face stress when trying to decide what to do next. There are different opportunities for young adults when starting life after college.
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Working
With a bachelor's degree, people are eligible for entry level jobs in most fields. People choosing this route normally must work their way up through the ranks of businesses, organizations or other venues of employment. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the starting salary for 2009 graduates was about $40,000 a year, though there is variation depending on the degree. The work done in an entry level job is often menial, but there are benefits. Completing a few years of entry-level work can pay off with future advancements. This option gives people the opportunity to network and make connections with established professionals in a chosen field, and advance to better positions in that field.
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Graduate School
Increasingly, recent college graduates are choosing to continue their educations and complete master's and doctoral programs. A master's degree is more specialized than a bachelor's degree. Not all universities have master's degree programs, and different schools may offer master's degrees in different areas. Master's degree programs are more rigorous than their bachelor's degree counterparts, and they place more emphasis on internships, research and real world experience. They are often competitive and expensive. Most programs are two years long, and they produce not only graduates, but also professionals. People with a master's degree have a competitive advantage in job searches, since obtaining a master's degree leads to expertise in a field, as well as connections and experience. If you are considering a master's degree program, discuss this option with a school advisor, and keep application due dates in mind.
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Military Service
Many young people join the military out of a sense of duty, honor or pride for their country. Aside from these reasons, there are other benefits to enlisting for military service. There are scholarship programs, such as ROTC, that pay for college if a student makes a commitment to enlist post-graduation. There are also debt-forgiveness programs that can help cover the expenses of student loans. Enlisting for military service with a bachelor's degree can lead to faster advancement to higher ranking officer positions. Details of military service, such as leadership training, can be included in a resume when applying for jobs later in life. One thing to consider, though, is that during times or war and instability, even if enlisting for a skilled position, the primary responsibility of service men and women is defense of our country's interests. It is likely that you will be sent into conflict zones.
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Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is dedicated to promoting peace and sustainability in lesser-developed nations. While the goals of the Peace Corps are altruistic, there are benefits for people who complete service. Peace Corps workers dedicate 27 months to working in communities of extreme poverty to build sustainable developmental changes. Since workers are expected to live similarly to community members, conditions volunteers live in are tough and sometimes dangerous. Monetary compensation is slim, but Peace Corps service is a way to affect positive change in the world. Volunteers get to experience another culture and learn another language. In 2006, BusinessWeek.com named Peace Corps service one of the top 50 ways to launch a career. There are programs in place such as student loan deferment and some opportunities to earn credit toward a graduate degree while serving.
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International Volunteering
Many graduates feel like they need a break before leaping into the job market or continuing on with more schooling. Some young adults are choosing to combine an adventure with volunteering by taking a year off and participating in volunteer-travel programs. There are many programs to choose from, offered by companies like Volunteer Abroad, Global Volunteers, and One World Volunteer, and different programs focus on different things. For example, there is a program to help with wildlife conservation in Kenya, another teaching English to orphans in Nepal, and yet another helping with rain forest conservation in Ecuador. International volunteering programs give graduates the opportunity to travel while helping a cause. Most programs include intense cultural immersion through homestays or similar features, so volunteers often learn a new language.
