where to from here?!?!?

the14me

so i've just finished an arts degree in Irish & English .
Now I really do not know where to go from here.
I'm 20 & went into arts degree after sitting the leaving because it was something general & I was not sure what I wanted to do then , but I suppose I thought by now everything would have fallen into place!
Any advice ??!!?
I have applied for the civil service , only to buy more time for decision making really, & to be honest I could never imagine myself in an office envirnment for the rest of my life

LegacyUser

What about teaching.................

Wud'nt go into the CS , you'll never get out of there till its time to go out in a box!


Ur so young....enjoy ur life

babyguinnessfan

Hey,

My sister did the same thing and after spending a few years in office jobs she went to the UK and has qualified to be a primary school teacher and loves it. Think of all the time off! Good luck in whatever you decide to do.:)

Seraphina

try offering grinds and see how you like teaching, i made 30 squids an hour doing lc grinds last year!!!

Dizzyblonde

You know what? You're 20 years old and you've been studying hard for a long time.
Take some time to decide what you'd like to do. Don't pressure yourself, if you don't feel drawn in any direction then go travelling or take a job to help finance your social life etc.
I speak as the mother of 2 girls around your age - the older one did a degree in software engineering and decided she didn't want to work at it and is now happily studying accountancy, and the younger one is training to be a hairdresser and loves it.
Loving your job is so much more important than what you earn.

muppetkiller

Do a teft course and teach English in different countries

patrickolee

I think he means TEFL, teaching english as a foreign language.

Firetrap

I hear ya. Same thing happened to me, though I'm lucky to have found a job I love completely by accident. Like you said, an arts degree is pretty general. That's both a curse and a blessing. It's not going to get you very far on its own but having it does open doors for you.

There are career adviser people out there. The son of one of my workmates went to see one recently because he's in the same boat as you. It might be worth considering seeing one. Or how about making an appointment to see the careers advisor person in your university. You're far from being the first arts graduate to darken their door asking "What now?"

Don't think that you have to reach a decision now. I know some people who went to college full sure they wanted to do a certain job when they graduated, got their degree and emerged at the end knowing that what they'd just qualified in wasn't what they wanted to work at.

Try making a list of things you're good at. That might help steer you a bit.

You could take an office job of some sort (for example) to put bread on the table and take a look at part-time training courses which take your fancy. Some of the colleges do distance learning courses which might suit you better if you're not in a position to go to classes in the evenings. Even if you work in a job now that isn't what you want to do long term, you will gain new skills, learn more about your strengths and weaknesses, maybe uncover hidden talents and get valuable work experience.

KilbarrackBlows

Your not the only my friend done the same degree
he finished about a year ago i think and he is in the exact same boat
hasnt been able to find work since he finished.
I think he is just applying for anything he can get atm

milkerman

OK you may be only 20 but your now at the age when you need to start earning a living & supporting yourself.
The Civil Service may not be for you in the long term but it will put money in your pocket while you consider your future.
I would take whatever comes along, its not as if you are signing up to a lifetime commitment.
I started in the Civil Service and although it was not for me in the long term, I did learn some valuable lessons that still stand to me today.

Movershaker

As already mentioned, you're still very young to be finished your degree. If you have any interest in travelling I think it would be a great idea to do a TEFL course and go abroad to teach English for a year. A lot of people go to places like China and Korea and earn great money. That way you'd get to see a bit of the world as well as get some experience.

Personally I think this is better than going off travelling straight out of college as you'll have the same problem when you come home. With a bit of experience under your belt at least you'd have an advantage over the new graduates next year. You could always take time off for travelling after that, and you'd probably be more able to afford it.

ETA: and in case you didn't gather it from my post, I absolutely think that now is the time to get out and see the world. The longer you leave it the harder it gets! I would advise against trying to get into the civil service now to be honest.