Three Steps for After Graduating College (Bonus 4th Step)
As we near the end of the semester, several of my students are reaching out to ask what amounts to the same question:
“What should I be doing after college?”
Feel familiar? Firstly, recognize this: you SHOULD be feeling a bit nervous. For the last 16+ years of your life, you’ve been told what you should be reading, how to study, where to spend your “extracurricular” time. You’re about to make what will likely be the biggest transition in your life (followed closely by going to college in the first place). So what ARE the next steps?
Every person has a unique story and future ahead of them, so your next steps may look different (read to the end if you’re looking for personal advice). For every student I encounter however, there are three “vitals steps” that I recommend. Why do I recommend them? Because I’m LAZY….okay not really. But I AM efficient. And these three activities are worth every ounce of effort for a simple reason. They impact so many of our dimensions of wellness (6 of them in fact).
These 3 steps alone can improve your life in a number of ways, including: Occupational, Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Financial. (read on for a a bonus 4th step that hits several of these and adds Intellectual wellbeing to the mix). So what are these three steps?
Get a Job
Volunteer
Get Physically Active
Seem too simple to be true? Think you already have a plan for these? Then read on, and let me explain why there is so much power in these three activities, and how you may be missing the mark on them.
Get a Job
Okay, this one seems pretty obvious, right? I don’t think I need to tell you that getting a job would be high priority after college. Instead, let me shed some light on your mentality towards your career. Ready?
You’re not going to get the perfect job right out of college. And that’s good. Phew, that’s a load off, eh? Too many of my students put pressure on themselves to follow this fictitious path: Graduate College -> Get Dream Job -> Get paid what everyone else with that piece of paper gets gets paid -> Make more every year -> Retire.
Maybe that’s how our great grandparents progressed through their careers. But with all the options out there, do you think you’ll get it right the first time? Probably not. And you aren’t alone. Adults from 25-34 have already had 4.5 jobs on average, while 1 in 5 grads are working jobs unrelated to their major. “Easy for you to say Coach Woody, you’re already working a career you love.” It’s true, I’m working as a Performance Coach and lecturer for Entrepreneurship at Purdue University, and loving it.
But guess what my Bachelor’s Degree was in? - Wildlife Biology
My Master’s Degree? - Kinesiology
'“One of my first lessons to my students is: Your degree does not define you.” - Coach Woody
The winding path that I took looks nothing like a straight climb to the “top.” And what’s more, I’m still learning what I want to do with my future, every day. So here are my suggestions to you as you work towards your ideal career:
Know what you’re responsible for financially, so that you can at least pay your bills. Be sure you can save some back for a rainy day (more on financial health in a separate blog post).
Begin and continue a meaningful, inward search into what you truly want to do with your life. (Check out the model Ikigai, and read the book Flourish)
In your first, second, and third job, PAY ATTENTION. Notice what aspects of the job you enjoy or don’t enjoy (e.g. the people, the setting, the culture, this type of work, that style of meeting, routines or unexpected challenges).
Some of the best lessons I learned were from things that made me miserable. I can distinctly remember hitting a career low point while teaching in a high school setting. I was depressed (clinically if I had talked to someone), avoided people, and tried to “escape” on my lunch break every day by going outside for 15 minutes. The problem wasn’t the job (I know a lot of tremendous people doing meaningful work in that facility), and it wasn’t the people (I loved helping students better themselves, and the staff was kind and supportive). It was the work, and the routine. Although I knew my desire for new challenges and changing environments, I thought I could “work though” being in the same room for 7 straight hours, teaching the same thing. And was I WRONG.
If I could go back to the beginning of my career, I would have spent a lot more time better understanding what I wanted, and looking for those things in each of my positions. When I left each position, I would have been sure that I was going to something that had what I enjoyed, and got rid of what I didn’t. And now, you can do the same.
Once you start your career path, the next step is finding out what you’ll do for free.
Volunteer
As a recent graduate, it can seem counterintuitive to offer up your time for free. You just spent a majority of your time and money training yourself to get a job, so you could MAKE money. So why volunteer? Great question, and here are some answers.
It Feels Good - Giving freely of your time to a worthy cause gives you an opportunity to fill your “spiritual bucket”. When you are stressed to the max, the first thing you can do to get yourself out of that slump is to serve others. It reminds you that you may not have it as bad as you think, and you’ll feel better knowing you’re the type of person that does good things for others.
Great Networking - When you’re at your job, you’re around the same people, in the same industry, day after day. By joining a volunteer group or non-profit, you have the ability to rub shoulders with other leaders and professionals in your community, that think and feel the same way you do. This is a great way to connect at a deeper level than just exchanging business cards.
Test New Skills - In your job, you may be siloed into doing your specific tasks (that’s what they pay you for). “Experimenting” or flexing new occupational muscles can be frowned upon. Non-profits are always eager for help, and willingly accept new skills that you may not have developed, but bring value. (just be sure you can truly deliver, don’t make promises you can’t keep!)
Early in my career, I found myself on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Greater Lafayette (by volunteering for a mud run, that’s another story). Because I was willing to show up and do work, I quickly got more involved, until in 2020, I was asked to serve as the President. During this time, I was able to develop my strategic planning and organizational development skills, implement new systems into the group, network with professionals from every industry imaginable, developed business financial acumen, and was often invited to the home of the CEO of a multi-million dollar company.
None of this would have been possible without my willingness to give my time freely, and do good work. The value I got from that time was immensely valuable in helping me develop into the professional I am today.
How to Start Volunteering:
Consider what you are passionate about, that isn’t related to your career (otherwise, you’re just doing your work for free for someone else)
Research local non-profits that align with those passions
Reach out and ask how you can get involved
SHOW UP!
While the first two steps of getting a job and volunteering can develop your occupational abilities, the last step can benefit all aspects of your wellness. You need to get active.
Get Physically Active
If you think that the “freshman 15” is a real thing, imagine leaving college. In a study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, young adults found themselves less active when they headed off to college, with a 24% decrease in activity from adolescence to adulthood. Without connections to similar aged peers, less access to wellness facilities, and an increase in responsibilities, the chances of you unintentionally finding yourself more active are slim to none.
But not all is lost. The mere fact that you are aware of this challenge creates an opportunity to avoid being a statistic.
Similar to Joe Rogan’s suggestion to work out right after flying to avoid jet lag, you can avoid a decline in physical activity by jumping right into a new routine post-graduation. Transitions are a prime time to lose or gain a new habit. So make it a gain. Here are some tips:
Make it enjoyable - if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. Find a sport, a club, a path in the woods, something that makes you have some fun while being active.
Do it with others - along with making it fun, workout buddies keep you accountable, and increase your social wellness.
Start small and easy - The person who walks 30 minutes every day will burn TWICE as many calories in a year as the person who runs for an hour three days a week, but sits the rest of the day. It doesn’t have to be crazy, just move more.
Have a goal - Sign up for something. Whether it’s a race, or a fun tournament (peep the pickleball trophy on my shelf in my video backgrounds!), having a goal gives you something to pursue on those days when you don’t “feel like it.”
It’s hard to tell where life will take you, and which of your efforts will truly pay off. But with these three steps (Get a Job, Volunteer, Get Physically Active) I can guarantee your life will move forward in a positive way.
Bonus Step: Life Curriculum
The thought of never reading another book may be tempting to you now, but consider this: 85% of self-made millionaires read two or more [non-fiction] books per month. So while you may be burnt out on reading what other people tell you to read, consider the power you have to develop yourself by creating your own Life Curriculum. Check out this blog post I made about how to determine where to start your new self-led discovery.
If you’re interested in some free guidance from an experienced coach who works with college students directly, let’s chat!
