So there’s 50 days left until graduation. 50 days until you walk across that stage and say goodbye to your undergrad career forever. 50 days until you’re done with school. Period. Now is the time when those without jobs or plans start panicking - what’s next? Where will I be come September? What is real life all about? Well… the truth is, it’s about whatever you want it to be about. Your path is no longer laid out for you which, yes, can be a very scary thought, but it can also be liberating and exciting. When your path isn’t clear, your options are endless. YOU get to choose what you do next, and all those years you spent inside the four walls of a classroom are behind you. Don’t just get a job to have a job, not unless your financial situation is absolutely dire. Just because you graduated college and moved home or moved away from your friends doesn’t mean that you have to be miserable. Fellowships Most of the post-grad fellowship attention is given to the Fulbright, a prestigious award granting graduates the opportunity to pursue grad school abroad, complete a research project (of their creation) abroad, or teach English abroad. While the application process is no easy feat, and the competition can be fierce for certain in-demand locations, the rewards are well worth it. The applications are due in October of every year, but it’s best to get started well before then, and the final results typically are announced in March or April. Numerous Marist grads have been awarded these over the years, to places such as Israel, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, Italy, India, Brazil, and this year’s newest addition - South Africa! Peace Corps Similar to the Fulbright, this program offers graduates the chance to move abroad and immerse themselves in a new community, aiding in life and development of the area in which they are placed. However, this program is less focused on scholastic merit and more of a volunteer position that places you in rural areas of poor countries. The time commitment is longer as well, with 27 months the set standard for Peace Corps positions, but the experience is equally as rewarding. For some more insight into what Peace Corps life is like, check out James Holodnak’s (class of 2015) profile here and blog about his experience here. Teach English Abroad Alternatively, if you don’t want to go through a program and just want to move somewhere and find your own job teaching English, there are plenty of opportunities to teach abroad! Though TEFL courses are not necessary in every location, they do significantly help your chances of landing jobs, and they also help you prepare. The most lucrative (and numerous) jobs tend to be situated in Asia, with China and South Korea as strong contenders, but you can secure jobs across the world if you’re really determined and do your research! AmeriCorps AmeriCorps is a government-sponsored program that places you in a community where you live at the poverty level of the area, and work to help the community in a variety of ways. The website states: “AmeriCorps engages more than 80,000 Americans in intensive service each year at 21,600 unique sites including nonprofits, schools, public agencies, and community and faith-based groups across the country.” Typically, AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers serve for a year in their community and they have options to help with loan payments (forbearance, forgiveness, etc.). Likewise, if you’re spiritually inclined there are volunteer corps specifically dedicated to communal living and spiritual enrichment in your own soul and the community you’re a part of, such as Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Teach for America With zero teaching experience necessary, you can teach in a school that desperately needs YOUR leadership and insight across the country, with many locations to choose from in both rural areas and inner-city locations. The job is paid and comes with benefits, and offers assistance with loans and finding housing. The commitment is two years, but the impact is forever. For more information, look here. Note: be conscious of your loans and be conscious of your personality. Taking risks is important and exhilarating, but don’t take on more than you can handle all at once.
And also remember that the path to your "dream job" or the job that's best for you may not yet be clear, and there's no rush to get a steady career and settle down in one place. Each person's path is different, and just because your timeline doesn't match someone else's doesn't mean you're not living "the right way." For more information on these and other programs, make an appointment with Pat Taylor or come to our office and pick up one of our “Alternative Destinations” info packets!
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Name: Shannon McCormack Class Year: 2016 College Degree: Psychology with minor in Business Current Location: Boston, MA What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job? My first job out of college is my current job - a preschool teacher. What do you miss most about Marist (or college in general)? To be honest, I miss it so much more than I ever thought I would. Most of all, there are two things I miss terribly; I miss my friends and all of the friendly faces I would see throughout my days around campus, and I miss having an identity and playing a role in different organizations on campus. You become a very small fish in a gigantic pond after Marist which is different for me. Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. Since July, I have been working with 3 & 4-year-olds, helping them grow, learn, and develop. I am responsible for preparing them for Kindergarten academically and socio-emotionally. As a senior, I had an internship at a nursery school close to Marist which really helped me get ready for the classroom, as did my child development class. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst? The best part is being able to explore and live in a new city! Also, having no homework, papers to write, or exams to study for is incredible! The worst part is trying to meet new people and make new friends; it is not nearly as easy as it is in college. Oh, and paying bills. Bills are not fun at all. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? Definitely how challenging it is to make new friends! I moved to Boston, a city 3 hours from my home and one that I hadn't visited in 8 years. The only people I know there are 2 of my best friends since 2nd grade. We are trying to meet new people and are hoping to join intramurals to help with this! Fingers crossed! Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? Enjoy every second! I know you are stressed about your final courses, capping, and finding a job - trust me, I've been there. But please don't let it swallow you whole. Take breaks, go to the dining hall with friends, explore the area around Marist, have movie nights, or just do whatever it is you love to do as a Red Fox because in the blink of an eye you will be sitting in a chair on the campus green in a cap and gown closing the Marist chapter of your life and opening an entirely new one. What’s your dream job? My dream job is to work in community relations and outreach, and using the platform that the job provides me to do what I can to raise awareness for different things and improve the lives of others and the community in any way possible. Name: Nicholas La Roux Class Year: 2015 College Degree: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, with a minor in Information Systems Current Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job? My first and only job since college has been working as a Software Developer at Shopify in Ottawa, Canada. What do you miss most about Marist (or college in general)? I miss the beautiful campus, the massive amount of free time, and seeing my friends every day. Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. My current job consists of primarily programming in a web development environment. I work on the Home team at Shopify, which manages the screen you see when you first login to your Shopify admin. That screen has a lot of info, cards, and so on on it. The point I’m trying to make here is the team I work on manages a very complex, ever-changing area of Shopify, and I believe Marist helped me best by preparing me to multitask and giving me the skills to manage complex, interpersonal situations. What is your favorite part of your job now? My favorite part is knowing that when I create something at Shopify, it has the potential of being seen by over 377,500 merchants, possibly many more if they have multiple employees. The reach my job affords me makes me feel like I can make a real impact on the world and people’s lives. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst? The best part about post-college life is coming home after work and not having any nagging responsibilities, i.e. homework. It’s nice to not almost always have something you should be doing/working on. The worst part about post-college life is probably the seclusion. Seldom have I had a time where I see more than a couple of my best friends for multiple days in a row. When I lived at Marist, I housed (senior year) with 7 of my best friends and had more coming over daily as well. I believe that for the most part, that amount of social time is simply unheard of post-college. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? This is going to sounds ridiculously old of me I guess but I ran into this issue when I first graduated. You’re going to be, in many situations, making more money than you’ve ever made before. Open a savings account and/or contribute to your 401k (or RRSP if you’re in Canada like me) as soon as possible. It’s very easy to fall into having one big, unmanageable checking account slush fund where money just disappears. Surprising? Canada is a lot warmer than I expected, during the brief summer period, that is. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? I’d like to think I stuck to my guns and held out for a job that I thought I would actually enjoy. I had many opportunities to simply work IT at a financial firm and/or some corporate style company but I didn’t settle and instead, moved to Canada for Shopify in July of 2015. One of the best decisions of my life. So, I’d say, yeah, maybe take a small job in the meantime if you’re strapped for cash or hell, take the corporate job, but always be looking for the job that you think you’ll be truly happy with. I thought it was impossible but I’m actually happy to go to work every day. It’s truly amazing. What’s your dream job? Still working at Shopify but in Japan or, if that’s not possible, Google in Tokyo, Japan. Name: Beth Saravo (@Instabaeth) Class Year: 2015 College Degree: B.S. Digital Media, minors in Graphic Design & Photography Current Location: Los Angeles, CA What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job? Within two months of graduating, I packed up my things and took a chance on moving cross country. After a 16 day road trip and ten national parks, I arrived and immediately found a job retouching and handling printing for a photography studio right outside LA. It was satisfying finding a gig within my niche, but I knew I was capable of more. I reached out to the company that I worked on my senior thesis with (www.mltd.com), and interviewed to be their in-house Graphic Designer and Studio Photographer. I have been full-time at MLTD for a year and four months and was recently promoted to the Men’s Department Creative Lead. What do you miss most about Marist? It may sound strange but I miss the constant learning: classes such as Philosophy and Art History were so interesting to me so I miss having that bank of knowledge presented to me weekly. Of course I have to mention the Steel Plant, it was definitely a creative escape and by senior year, most of us had claimed our own Macs with projects constantly running. I also miss swimming for Marist, being a student-athlete was always an amazing feeling and our team was a huge support system for one another. I heard my girls just won again, GO FOXY LADIES! Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. I currently am a jack of many trades at MLTD and freelance photographer on the side. On top of continuing to shoot menswear for e-commerce and social media, I manage the daily creation of media for use on social media and the company website. I work with our brands and buyers to keep our media fresh due to constant changes in fashion. I help plan our social media, ad buying for Facebook and IG and assist with creation of assets for anything mens related. I have also taken on Product photography for a handful of celebrities including Kimoji by Kim Kardashian, merchandise from Lil Yachty’s tour, Golf Wang by Tyler the Creator, 4Hunnid by YG, etc. Other side jobs include photography for ESL gaming, an eSports company that runs professional gaming tournaments, as well as for Rhymesayers Entertainment, where as part of their media team I photograph shows and festivals around the U.S. Marist helped get me ready for life postgrad by giving me the tools to grow my skill-set beyond the classroom. The professors in the Art department were always willing to talk, discuss and push my art to reach a bigger potential. For instance, Professor Luciana would let me use his studio lights if I wanted to test out lighting, or do a project differently if I had a method I wanted to learn. What is your favorite part of your job now? The freelance gigs I land are definitely “pinch me” moments and my favorite part of being a photographer. I am able to attend events and have behind the scenes access and take photos of people that I thought would be untouchable. For instance, I’ve shot alongside Van Styles twice now. To think that an employer was like, “Hey, lets get @VanStyles and @Instabaeth out here to shoot” is crazy to me. I also get to travel more than an average person, so I am very thankful for that. As far as MLTD, my favorite part is being able to work with models 1-2 times weekly. This is a huge break from desk work, and I am thankful that I get to hang out, explore SoCal to shoot and still call it my 9-5. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst? Bills are THE WORST. Money runs the world and it’s weird to be sucked into this adult space-time-continuum where you sometimes have to choose between having fun and paying for your electric bill. Moving cross country has also put a strain on relationships with people back home, but I am elated when I am able to see my East Coast friends. The best part about life after college is the independence you gain: everything you do is because of your own day to day grind and this is an extremely rewarding feeling. The more you do and the harder you work, the more doors that will open. Cliche, but true. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? I wish someone would’ve told me that even though you may be ready for bigger jobs, that you still have to climb the ladder. Even though your skill-set may look like that of someone with more experience, their time in the field will almost always trump yours. Going along with this, it is so amazing what networking can do. It is definitely surprising what “knowing someone” or a simple referral can do. Whenever I am at events, just mingling with the person next to you can line up a gig or introduce you to the VP of your favorite company. LA is crawling with elite so it’s sometimes too easy to network here. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? I know it’s all you hear but LIVE IT UP. College is a strange bubble before adult stress hits… Also, DO MORE. Reach out to work professionally even if you’re still in college; if you take yourself seriously, your clients will too. The freelance projects I had while in college helped me get real-world experience - even little things you don’t think about like writing contracts or cold pitching yourself in an email. Practice makes improvement, and the more you do, the easier things will get. What’s your dream job? My dream job goes in so many different directions - this is honestly hard to answer. Making a living off shooting music and celebrity portraits would be a dream, but I also see being a Creative Director as a fulfilling potential option. Only time will tell! For now, I plan to move out of the fashion space and into the music and entertainment industry. |
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