Graduating and navigating the real world

Graduation is getting closer for all of us final year students, not only photography students but across the whole university. We are all getting ready to pack up and move back into the real world, where we need to start our career paths. For many this looks like getting a full-time job, for others its anything from starting your own business to going back into education whether that’s a master’s or doing a PGCE. Regardless of which path you’re on this is a very daunting time.

After speaking with many final year students, the consensus is pretty much the same. We are all scared, anxious and excited. Graduating and moving on feels like the end when in reality it is the very beginning. The question we are all asked so many times “So, what are your plans now then?” there are some lucky ones who know exactly what they are doing and know exactly how they are getting there, and there is a lot who have no clue, the people who are no longer interested in working in the same field as their degree. In 2025 landing a full-time job, straight out of university is turning out to be a lot more challenging than I had originally thought, I have applied for so many jobs, had a few interviews and even more rejections.

Dealing with rejection is something you have to become resilient for, it is inevitable, along with the uncertainty leaving university gives you. The stress of not having a plan can be very challenging, there’s no financial security either which can lead to emotional struggles. Learning to cope with these different emotions is key in moving in to the next phase of our lives.