Finding your first full-time job after graduation can be a very stressful and challenging for some of us. Going through this ordeal has allowed me to evaluate my life, evaluate where I am and revealed a lot of things about me.
Looking back, this is the advice I will give my (11 -19
years old) self about surviving your twenties and life after graduation.
Planning is
everything: if you fail to plan, you have planned to fail. During my time
in education, I had no plan for life after graduation, so I just went with the flow; with everything and anything that came
my way, in the name of experimenting. I had no sense of direction and felt
really lost. My advice to you will be, have a plan for life after school/university.
I know this can be tricky for those who still don’t know what you want to do,
but make a list of all the things you already love to do and any careers that
interests you.
Map out what you will
like to do, who and where you would like to be. The most important thing is
knowing the destination; if you know where you want to go and be, finding the
route will be much easier.
Seek advice and do a
lot of research. Never think you are too young. It’s okay if you don’t know
what you want to do yet, ask questions, ask the people around you about their
work; what they do? What they like about their job and what they hate about it?
How they got into their current company/organisation. The more questions you
ask the better. Ask your friends’ parents, your friendly neighbours...the more
questions you ask, the more answers you will get. The more answers you get, the
more knowledgeable you become and the more informed you will be when you are
making career and life decisions.
Use your summer wisely. Don’t just sit in front of the TV all day or chill with friends all summer. These things can be healthy when done in moderations and it’s good to hang with friends (but remember, the company you keep can build/encourage you or corrupt you). During the summer make time for some volunteering and work experience. Trust me it will pay off later. It will give you experience and allow you to create contacts and network which will be beneficial after you have left full-time education.
Don’t be scared to
follow the things you love to do; hobbies can turn into great businesses.
Ask the entrepreneurs behind innocent smoothies! Never let fear of failure or
fear of the unknown be the reason you do or don’t do something. Fear is not your friend; it will cripple
you, choke creativity, mock your ambitions and leave you feeling powerless,
helpless and hopeless!
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, mistakes can teach you lot about yourself and help you become more resilient. Sometimes hidden in our mistakes are new discoveries. And don’t take failure personally, learn from them and move on. Nobody who thought they were a failure ever succeeded, because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he! For more help on dealing with failure, read John Maxwell’s book: Failing Forward or Attitude 101.
Pray! Pray without ceasing. Ask God for direction and
guidance, for His help and wisdom. His Word says: “If anybody lacks wisdom,
he should ask and God who gives generously without reproach will grant him his
request”. Ask God for wisdom every day and night and commit your plans into his
hands, because He orders the steps of the righteous!
Aside wisdom, also pray for increase in faith. Ask God to
help you have unwavering faith because the journey ahead is not easy; trials,
mistakes, wrong turns may come and you will need faith to survive. David said
in Psalm 119:92-93, “If Your law had not
been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget
Your precepts, for by them You have preserved my life”. Soak yourself in
the Living Word of God; it will preserve you in difficult times.
Your most precious possession is the Bible; this book will
guide you, it will strengthen you, it will reveal the heart and mind of God concerning
the issues you’re facing. It will give you hope, faith and courage. It will
teach you that many people have come and gone and have been through worse
situations (Job, Joseph, David, Paul, Peter, Jesus etc) and made it through by
the grace of God. As He was with them, so will He be with you, His thoughts are
towards the righteous and He keeps them.
Be content:
comparing yourself and wishing you had what someone else’s has is unwise. But
that is another subject for another blog post.
I cannot emphasis enough on planning, prayer and soaking yourself in God’s word. Lastly, let me leave you with these two verses:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God
which surpasses all understanding will guard you heart in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:
6-7
All things work together for the good of those who love the
Lord and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.
