What Next After Graduation ?

Last week Friday 27 May 2022 saw Makerere University conclude the graduation ceremony that had run for the whole week. The oldest University in East Africa , Makerere was holding its 72nd Graduation ceremony. Thousands of students were awarded their degrees in different categories.

What Next?

Moving down memory lane, in 2020 after graduation, Makerere University Students staged a demonstration. They stood at traffic spots in their grad gowns holding placards with the question “What next?” bold-typed upon them.

With the recent Graduation all ready done, all eyes turn to answering this question “ What Next?” .

Several universities also held their graduation last week too.Kabale University held its 6th Graduation ceremony as Mbarara University of Science and Technology ( MUST)also had their 28th Graduation ceremony on Saturday 28 May 2022.MUST had a total of 1319 graduates. This means that a number of graduates were formally released from their institution with several degrees awarded.

All these will have to answer the question “what next”. One may rush to say that the next thing for these graduates would be to get jobs but it’s not as easy as it seems.

Advice from Experts and Professionals

Ernest Bazanye , a seasoned Journalist and elder who has seen it all advises the graduates thus :

“In adult life no one ever knows what’s next. You can decide to take a few punches, take a few losses, learn a lot of hard lessons, make a lot of sacrifices, ditch the gown and don a thick skin of humility and face the challenging world before you.”

There is a popular belief and tendency of graduates to ditch any kind of work. They prefer to sit waiting for the dream job they went to school for . The real world doesn’t need a fixated mind.

The World outside school calls for flexibility and creativity. One is expected to do whatever job at hand as one awaits real job they went to school for. StudentTimes,an online blog that writes about students related issues sets out different paths graduates can take after graduation.

Firstly, graduates should get (more) work experience.Expierence is one of the key components Employers look for in employees.

Secondly, the graduates should give their shot at looking for a graduate job . Experts say certain fields studied are poised to give graduates employment opportunities more fast than others.

Thirdly, StudentTimes, a student online blog,advices graduates to go on to further study, eg a Masters course. The earlier the better. Whereas others may choose to first take time out of books, others would prefer to go for further studies to increase their chances of being employed.

In conclusion, as answers are being sought to this question, graduates should endeavour to recognise the importance of learning good money management skills, improving communication skills and other self-management skills such as time management which are a must for today’s and tomorrow’s youth.