Will traveling after graduation negatively impact on job prospects?

Pullock123

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong section. Essentially I will be graduating this year with a masters in Economics and Finance and i am highly considering taking a gap year to travel. My motivation for such a decision is simply that I would like to travel now when I have the opportunity to do so (no commitments) and also partly due to the fact that I am still unaware of which area I would like to work in.

My concern is that taking a year to travel would negatively impact on my job prospects the following year. I would intend on working in Ireland (any job) for a number of months to save up and then travel, as by doing so I would still be around to attend interviews with a view to securing a grad program for the following September.

Any advice from anyone who may have experienced a similar scenario or anyone that could provide guidance is any form would be greatly appreciated! It would also be great to hear from anyone that did decide to travel after college and their experiences employment wise afterwards.

Eoin

It's pretty much expected that people will travel after college; I can't see a problem.

Pullock123

Thank you for your help Eoin. I was just worried that employers might view it as a waste of a year or that they would rather applications from fresh graduates, as it would be fresh graduates that I would be competing with for roles in the following year. Thanks again, much appreciated!

DMcL1971

The only impact it would have on an employer would be jealousy:)

The vast majority of people in careers would love to be able to take some time off in order to travel but are now unable to do so because of work and financial commitments. You are currently positioned to be able to do something that many of them wished that they had done when they were your age.

I would imagine that 99% of potential employers would be delighted to hear that you did some travelling. If you go straight from school, to college, to your first job they are essentially hiring a person with only the maturity and experience of an intelligent schoolkid. If you have travelled you have gained more maturity and an ability to interact with diverse people, with different backgrounds and culture. You have gained extra confidence and the ability to be responsible for your own actions. You are a more rounded individual. They may even consider you more reliable as a long term employee now that you have got the travel bug out of your system.

If you come across the 1% of employers who think that you are a flighty, hippy, lazy, millenial with no work ethic just because you didn't put your nose to the grindstone the moment you got your qualification, then you probably don't want to work for that person.

Now may be the only chance you get to travel before work, family and financial commitments tie you down. Do it now, there will be just as many (or few) jobs available this time next year or the year after.

Mrs OBumble

It depends what you spend your year of travelling doing.

If it's a year drinking on beach in Bondi, then meh, I'd see you as a waster and move right along.

But if you can tell a story of where you've been that includes interesting paces along with what you've done and varied jobs you had along the way, then I'd see it as a positive. (Tell it briefly, of course - but still have the story).

livedadream

No.

Travel, see the world enjoy your youth!!

Pullock123

That is brilliant advice DMcL1971 thank you for your reply. You have pretty much summed up my views on the situation in your comment, I guess I just needed someone else to reinforce my thoughts! I would definitely be of the same opinion that if an employer did view the experience in a negative way then it's probably not the type of place that I would like to work in anyway!

I was worried that if I decided against travel and went straight into the work place because 'it's the right thing to do' without much thought that I would probably wake up some morning 10 years down the road thinking what the hell am I doing.

Thanks again for your help, I'd best get packing!!

fleet

Go travel!

I spent 10 years after graduating moving from country to country, job to job, holiday to holiday. Never affected anything.

Do keep studying though. Take some professional exams every year or two.

DMcL1971

Pullock123 wrote: »

I was worried that if I decided against travel and went straight into the work place because 'it's the right thing to do' without much thought that I would probably wake up some morning 10 years down the road thinking what the hell am I doing.

I know plenty of people in their 30's, 40's and 50's, who say that their biggest regret in life is not having experienced a bit of the world before they got stuck on the responsibility treadmill. You can't go swanning off around the world for a few months when you have a full time job, mortgage, car payments, kids, loans, etc.

Unfortunately our culture tends to tell people that they need to get a good Junior cert, so they can get a good leaving cert, so they can get a good college place, to get a good qualification, so they can get a good job, so they can get some money, so they can get a better job, so they can afford a house, and then a partner and then some kids and then send the kids to a decent school and it all starts again. Right now is the ideal time to do something to develop yourself, before you settle into the rest of your chosen life.

You never know, on your travels you might even realise that you want to do something else or live somewhere else.