What to get my... · 2021-09-20

27 Fun Things to Do after Graduation

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Fun Things To Do After Graduation (what to do after graduation)

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Graduation rates worldwide: How does the United States compare to the top-performers. Source: NCEE

Graduation rates worldwide How does the United States compare to the top-performers. Source NCEE

USA College graduation rates 2000 – 2012. Source: Wikipedia

USA College graduation rates 2000 - 2012. Source Wikipedia

Graduation, whether from high school or college, is a big deal as the stats above show. If you are among the 83% of high schoolers who have graduated from high school, a big congratulations to you. Give yourself a huge pat on the back. And the same is to be said for graduation from college, which as we see from the second chart, is no small feat at all. Congratulations on your success.

Graduating from high school or college is however not where it ends. You will find yourself with questions about what to do after graduation, especially if you don’t want to dive straight into work after graduating from college. Maybe you are about to graduate from college and have no idea what to do after college and looking for inspiration about things to do after college besides work, you are reading the right article. In this article, we will be showing you:

For inspiration on planning a grad celebration without a party, check out our helpful article on How to celebrate (college) graduation without a party.

How to figure out what to do after college – 3 important questions to ask.

With figuring out what to do after college, there are no hard and fast rules per se, just guiding principles that you can then tailor to your personality. This is because each individual is unique and what works for one person will not necessarily work for every other person.

The following guiding principles will help you figure out what to do after college.

1. Do you feel the need to get right into work or anything related to putting your college knowledge into use immediately or do you want to take a breather/break?

This is the very first consideration to figuring out what to do after college. If you want to get working immediately, then your penultimate year in college is the time to start looking for potential jobs by actively looking out for job openings.

If you however want to take a breather then the items in the next sections may be of interest to you. Maybe you want to further your studies immediately after college by taking advanced degrees like a Masters degree or a professional training course, then your penultimate year is also the time to start researching such courses.

2. What kind of work do you see yourself doing? A 9 – 5 or being able to work at your own pace?

If you’ve decided that work is what you want to do, then are you looking to work a regular job where you are confined to an office and within strict timelines, or do you want to be your boss and work at your own pace?

Working at your own pace will mean working as a freelancer, as a consultant, or as your boss. Most jobs are regular 9-5 jobs and so you will need to look a little harder to find the kind of freelance or consulting work that would allow you the flexibility you’re looking for. Sectors where you may find such flexibility include the fields of project planning, real estate agency, online/remote work, among others.

3. Do you want to stick around your town and/or city and/or State or do you feel like trying out new frontiers and uncharted terrain?

And this final consideration will determine where you set your sights as you prepare to graduate from college. If you want to step outside your terrain, then the opportunities to look out for or any plans you make would be abroad rather than at home.

What do people do after graduation? 10 Options after college and things to do after college besides work.

You have several options open to you after college that don’t necessarily have to do with work. Of course, the first option is usually to get right into it and start working because work means a paycheck. If you want to take a breather first before delving into the world of work, you can try out any of these 10 things to do after college besides work.

1. Do nothing except sleep and wake up for at least a month and catch up on all your favorite series on Netflix.

After a lot of sleepless nights doing coursework and reading for exams, this is something every fresh college graduate should do. Give yourself at least a month to catch up on sleep and get refreshed. See it as a month to catch up with yourself and all the fun stuff you’ve missed out on. Look for new series to watch, eat, sleep, and just enjoy the pleasure of doing nothing for a month.

2. Catch up with old friends and family that you haven’t seen due to college commitment.

Use the month to catch up with old friends and family members that you haven’t seen in a while. Hang out with them and tell them all about college and your experience at college. It will be a good time to bond and reconnect again. You could even use the opportunity to plan any grad party you want to have.

3. Start a blog or podcast.

If you’ve always wanted to blog or have a podcast but never got the chance to do so, post-college is the best time to start just before you start working. And the beauty of blogging or having a podcast channel is that you don’t need much to start or even be limited by what you can write or talk about. You decide what you want to write about and just go with it.

You may like this related article on Gifts for people who like podcasts.

4. Travel blogging.

This is another fun activity you can try out after college graduation. This type of blogging is like an online traveling journal where you walk about the places you’re traveling to and what you love about them. The great thing about travel blogging is that you have to travel otherwise it’s not travel blogging lol. So it’s a good chance to travel and then share your travel experiences with the world.

To help you on your traveling trips, check out our articles on Gifts for someone traveling to Europe and Gifts for someone who likes to travel.

5. Start an online marketplace selling things you love or DIY items.

Who says you can’t make money while doing nothing related to a workplace. You can use your free time to try out some craft items and then sell them online. You don’t even need to start a website per se to sell them. You can sell on vendor sites like Amazon and Etsy and make money for yourself while doing something that isn’t tied to the traditional notion of work.

6. Write a memoir/book about your college experiences or make YouTube videos about your college experiences.

And who knows you may just be the next best-selling author in the market. Again, you don’t need to have a publisher to sell. Check out Amazon’s Kindle for how you can publish your memoir on their site. Given that there are college freshmen that would want to know about navigating life at your college, it is an idea worth considering. Share your stories with them and you could just be helping someone settle into school.

An alternative to writing a memoir would be keeping a vlog on YouTube where you make short videos talking about your college experiences. Depending on how much traffic you drive to your YouTube channel, you can also monetize it and make money from it without having to work in a traditional office setting.

7. Volunteer a quota of your time weekly at a homeless shelter or old age home.

This is one generosity activity that will make you feel good about your use of time. Volunteering is known to guarantee long life and also make you a happier person because there is no greater joy than bringing joy to others.

You will love our articles on the 3 Characteristics of a generous person and 3 Ways to show generosity to others.

8. Teach English language abroad.

You’ll be amazed at the opportunities available to teach English abroad. And what’s more, you get to travel and see a different country. You can find out where you can find such opportunities by Googling teaching English abroad opportunities and you will find several.

9. Keep a garden or a farm if you’re big on agriculture.

Gardening can be pretty fun if you have the patience for it. It’s a good way to stay distracted and get a kick out of watching something grow. If planting a garden seems too tasking, you can instead opt for keeping a flowerbed.

10. Check out the real estate sector and consider being a real estate agent.

The real estate sector is one sector where you can make good money and still work at your own pace. You may however need to be qualified as a real estate agent before you can start in that sector. It is worth checking out because it has long-term benefits and perks.

9 Fun things to do after college graduation.

These are fun things you can do that are not necessarily work in the strict sense of the word but can still earn you some bucks while you are having the time of your life.

11. Get a babysitting job abroad.

Check out Aupair.com for amazing babysitting opportunities abroad. What’s the fun in this you may ask. You get to experience different cultures and earn some pocket money while at it. Did we mention that you get to live with the host family whose kids you are babysitting? So that means your pocket money is yours for spending without worrying about paying rent and the likes. If you’re keen on learning about different cultures this is one of the best ways to do it.

12. Be a paid tour guide and travel while at it.

This is another fun thing to do after college that will earn you cash and guarantee you fun. It gives you the chance to travel and also practice your people’s skills, especially if you’re a people’s person.

13. Take a vacation/travel.

And of course, no better time to travel to Europe or even Africa, than after your college graduation. Draw up a vacation itinerary and explore the world.

14. Sign up for an internship abroad or a mission trip abroad or maybe a research assistantship gig.

You could also look for internship opportunities abroad as another way of traveling to other places. Depending on which part of the world you are interested in exploring such opportunities, Google can help you with finding one that suits you. You could also find out from your religious organization if there are mission trips and the likes you can embark on.

15. Get through your post-college graduation bucket list.

And if you don’t have a bucket list yet, then you should start drawing up one in preparation for post-college graduation celebrations. Your bucket list doesn’t have to be too serious. It can be as silly as finishing 6 bottles of beer in 1 minute to bungee jumping or circling your town in a day. Whatever it is your curious mind has ever fathomed doing, put that down on your bucket list and have a good time getting through the list.

16. Tutor high school students.

No need to have your high school knowledge go to waste when it can help some students. And you don’t necessarily have to do it for free. You can make some small cash out of it.

17. How about cruising and waitressing?

If you are not prone to seasickness and always had a secret fetish for waitressing out on the sea, this is a cool fun thing to try out.

18. Or maybe you fancy being a flight attendant?

Hell yeah, sign me up lol. This is another one of those fun activities that give you the chance to travel and still look chic and fly in your flight attendant uniform. Plus you get discounts and the other perks that come with being a flight attendant.

19. Try out a fun competition like Fear Factor or The Voice America.

How cool, right? Conquer your fears or sing your heart out or go out to a jungle in South America. Whatever your forte, try out something bold and daring like a competition that will get your juices flowing.

Conquer your fears or sing your heart out or go out to a jungle in South America. Whatever your forte, try out something bold and daring like a competition that will get your juices flowing.

8 Fun things to do after graduating high school.

Finishing high school is awesome. While going to college immediately after isn’t a bad idea, it might be a good idea to take a gap year to try and figure things out and figure out what direction you want to take in college.

You can do the following fun things in your gap year.

20. See a career coach and/or take career tests before submitting that college application.

It’s a good idea to do this before checking out colleges. These tests help you figure out what you like careerwise and what would be a good fit for you. It helps to do this if you still haven’t figured out what you want to study at college or indeed if you want to go to college, to begin with.

21. Spoil yourself to celebrate finishing high school.

Spoil yourself to lunch or dinner at that fancy restaurant you’ve been eyeing for some time now. Or maybe it’s spoiling yourself to a spa day treatment or maybe going to the movies or going shopping. Whatever your heart desires, you have an excuse to spoil yourself.

22. Take up an exciting job like waitressing or babysitting.

Okay, maybe you don’t want to waitress on a cruise or babysit abroad. It doesn’t mean you can’t do one or both where you’re out. There are always waitressing and babysitting opportunities in every city or town. Look out for one closest to you and make some spare cash that will come in handy for college.

23. Explore your town and/or city and/or State.

How well do you know your town and/or city and/or State? Why not use your post-high school graduation period as the time to get to explore your environs.

You may like our helpful article on Fun things to do in a small town with friends.

24. Take your hobby a step further by signing up for lessons on your hobby.

Do you love to dance? Or maybe it’s cooking or writing? Why not sign up for a cooking class or dance lessons and become a pro at the things you love and enjoy doing. It is a fun way to pass time after high school graduation while waiting for college. And who knows you could start a patisserie from your cooking lessons.

25. Tutor middle schoolers.

No need to let your middle school knowledge go to waste. You can tutor middle schoolers and make some cash at the same time.

26. Get a driver’s license.

This will come in handy for college especially if you want to be mobile while in college.

27. Start a small business.

You’re probably thinking, what kind of small business can you start? You can bake sweet things and sell them in your neighborhood or at the flea market near you for instance. Or you could make DIY craft items for homes and sell them. If you are good with hair products or mixing things up, you can make a business out of it. Start small and who knows where it could lead.

Choosing a career after college – 5 questions to ask.

Your college degree will ordinarily be your lifelong career and that is why it is very important to choose right before going through college. This is not to say that you cannot make a complete career move after college, but it may seem like a waste of time to spend the length of time in college studying something you would not use after college.

It does happen though that after college and after you’ve worked for a little time thereafter you start to feel the need to try another career or upskill your knowledge. And this is great because it means you are expanding your knowledge base. To choose another career after college, these questions will help you know exactly what courses to settle for.

1. What new knowledge or skills am I interested in acquiring?

Be specific about what the knowledge or skill you are seeking out is because in this day and age of information overload it can become a little daunting and overwhelming trying to learn everything.

2. How does this fit into my long-term goals and lifelong ambition?

If for instance, your lifelong ambition is to become a politician, then taking an additional course in politics or economics becomes important

3. Is this meant to help my hobby or my career?

Remember that there is a difference between a career and a hobby, although in some cases they would intersect. Your career is what puts food on your table while your hobby likely takes your money from you. And so, depending on where you are at in your life and career, it may be more important to build your career first and make enough money to be able to pursue your hobbies.

4. Will this make me more marketable or less so?

For instance, the world is moving more in the digital direction with everything becoming more and more internet-based. And so, any course you are taking should be such that it makes you more marketable in that direction.

5. Can I do it together with other things?

Given that you likely need to earn to make a living, it is ideal to take up career choices that will allow you to work and school at the same time. Either you do a part-time course or an online course that allows you to be able to work and school at the same time.

How to keep learning after college.

There is no other way to keep learning after college than to keep learning. You can do this by signing up for additional courses and taking an extra degree or certificate courses on things you love. You can sign up for a second degree online with online universities like Nexford University or any other university that offers online learning, or just learn skills on sites like Udemy.

The beauty of these is that you get to add to your knowledge and become more marketable while doing it at your own pace.

Frequently asked questions.

1. Do you know of good entry level jobs for recent college graduates?

Check out sites like Indeed.com for entry job listings for recent college graduates. And if freelance writing appeals to you then check out UpWork, Fiverr, and Guru for paying freelance gigs. Industries like the medical industry, particularly nurses, teachers, and software engineers, are always in demand all year round.

2. What should I do after I graduate?

We have a variety of activities you can try out in our list of 27 fun things to do after graduation. Feel free to try all of them or as many as you possibly can.

3. I graduated college now what?

Depending on what you feel like, you can jump straight into work or take a break. To help you figure out which one appeals more to you, check out the first section of this article for 3 helpful questions that will point you in the right direction.

4. I’m about to graduate college and I don’t know what to do?

Read this article from the beginning to the last and by the time you finish, you are guaranteed to know what you want to do after you graduate from college.

Conclusion.

Knowing what to do after you graduate from college or university should not be so hard. In this article, we have shown you several options available to you. We have also helped you in choosing a career after college. Congratulations on your graduation and best of luck in your future endeavors.

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