To my peers, friends and compatriots,
Life is scary, isn't it? We have spent the last twenty (plus) years of our lives having our every whim catered to by those who cared about us: parents, grandparents, teachers and to an extent, universities. I say universities, having worked in the pastoral care side of things, which is a job I love, but at the worst of times is an exercise in 'herding kittens'. (I feel I am at liberty to say this, as it was a phrase used by one of said kittens and I use it with affection).
We come to the end of our university careers having spent three years in a bubble where it doesn't matter (much) if you make a mistake on an assignment. You might get a grade you're disappointed with, but no one died, you didn't lose your job, you didn't have your wages cut. Of course, while no one gave you a gold star like in infant school, nevertheless your efforts were often rewarded and you were occasionally made to feel as if you were right at the top.
You may well have been right at the top. The top of your particular cohort, which means anything from the top of a group of ten, or the top of a group of 250 students. Take from that what you will. However, it is all too easy to forget that there are over one hundred higher education establishments in the UK. In which there are many cohorts of students. Some of whom are also at the top. So while you may be at the top, you are one of many. Possibly one of several thousand. While we cannot overlook the fact that tens of thousands of students attend university every year, and as such, you are one of the better ones; it cannot be escaped that there are many people who are just as good, if not better, than you.
The issue here is perspective, and perspective in relation to a number of issues.
Firstly, degree classification and what it actually translates to in the real world.
Some people perceive anything below a First class as a "failing grade", whereas some people will be grateful just to not get a 2:2. Others will be grateful to not get a third. Other will be grateful for a third. We often forget that there is a class below this still, called an Ordinary Degree, as opposed to an Honours Degree. It is still a degree, but where not all of the requirements have been fulfilled (often due to serious illness on the part of the candidate at the time of assessment).
The fact is that I have seen only one graduate recruiter who has required a first class degree as a minimum standard, purely because they are a company based on data and results, rather than based on client facing skills. This is not to say that people with First class degrees have no social skills, which would be utterly inaccurate -- we must commend such lucky people on their stunning work ethics, their commitment, intelligence and dedication. What I am saying, however, is that this is not the only thing that is important in life.
Employers recognise this, but they still want candidates who have proven they can adapt to challenges and have the capacity to learn and work hard, which is why a lot of them set their minimum requirements to be at a 2:1 or 2:2 classification in a degree. But once again, the degree is not the be-all and end-all. A degree grinds down to being a piece of paper to certify that a candidate has studied a certain subject for a few years and has passed a couple of exams and written some stuff about it. That is all. Just because you have a degree does not *automatically* qualify you to have a job, (architecture, medicine and dentistry excluded, of course). Even a law degree still only allows a person to bypass the first stage of qualification, a situation that can be rectified by doing a postgraduate law conversion, after which point, trainees are on the same playing field. As such then, why worry? Work hard, but only because it benefits you. Don't try and please anyone else, or you're setting yourself up to lose that battle. Forget your parents' disappointment and pressure for half a second and study whatever you want. Don't let your parents try and live their lives through you.
Secondly, there is an issue with the perspective of time. Let's say you have been on this planet for 20 years. If we say the UK life expectancy is now 80, based on the last data published in 2011 stating 80.75 (maths is not my strong point so for the sake of my looking less of an idiot we shall round down), we can say that you have been on this planet for a quarter of your life. You will perhaps all graduate by the time you are 23, taking into account pre-university gap years and years abroad. The UK retirement age is pushing 67 these days, which gives us a difference of 44 years. This is double (more or less) the time you have already spent on this planet, and it is yours to play with.
So who is to say there is any reason to rush into a career, that you will spend all of your adult life working at? I have heard the argument "but I want to have kids at 30". Great. That's fine. But taking a year out after university to try some new things and discover yourself will not affect the progression of your life so significantly that you have to risk all of your future happiness in order to pursue "what you think you want".You won't even be 25 by the time such a year is over. Get a grip and stop rushing into stuff. Frankly, you'll have more to bring to the table and people will take you more seriously due to your age and maturity than if you rushed into something and tried to play with the big boys too soon.
You could say "but I need money". Sure we all do. I need money. Your mum needs money. But how much do you really need? Enough to pay rent, utilities and food. You don't need to be making megabucks to sustain a quality of life. There is no shame in working menial jobs to earn some bread money. If anything, you will be better served in a career later on if you have worked in such a job, as it teaches you soft skills that you will need in any career. My first waitressing job earned me £15 when I was 14 and I took up my first part time job at 16. I currently work in a coffee shop in between lectures and library sessions. No one has ever looked down their nose at me and said "Oh, but how will that help you progress in your career as an accountant". The fact is because there is an extensive list of ways in which it will help me do any job I want, because I work hard, I can deal with anybody (staff, customer, complainer, complimenter) and with confidence. That and I can make a half decent cup of tea, so I'd be an ideal intern! Such a job has also taught me how to take everything on the chin and to never turn my nose up at anything. I used to clean the toilets in my last job. We don't have toilets to clean at this one, but I would clean them if I had to. Suck it up and do it, even if it won't make you a CEO by 25.
You are but a newborn in the corporate world, even if you have had it rhapsodised to you for the last few years that "you are a grown-up now". Sure you are, but so is everyone else. It doesn't make you any more special. Instead, you must act like the newborn that you are and learn, develop and grow as a person. Everything in life is a learning curve and you cannot rush it. Let us not run before we can walk. Let us instead enjoy the moment, and stick two fingers up to those who try and make us rush into decisions that will affect our daily lives. Let us instead prioritise our own happiness, and only become a part of the sea of suits inching its way out of Bank station when we are entirely ready for it -- whether that is as soon as you graduate, or never. The corporate world can only benefit.
Wishing you all the luck in the world,
