I am just about to graduate, and there seems to be no more terrifying time, at the moment, to be trying to create a life.  It seems to me that everyone is talking about the lack of jobs and the credit crunch, fear seems to be high on the agenda.

This is wrong! Fight this tide, now is a time for new graduates to be excited, now is the time for initiative and inventiveness. We have very little to lose.

Go back to Uni

Do you feel like doing a post-graduate qualification? Weigh up the pros and cons, if you think that you want to do a Masters or a PhD, it might be a good move. Have a look at courses, maybe try a different university. But remember that it’s another £4000 in tuition fees and then you have to pay for your own food and rent. You can get a higher education loan from the bank to support you. However, if you are like me and want to move on from academic life, after more than 16 years in education, then there are many more options.

Go travelling

Take a gap year or even just a few months and go travelling. Around the world tickets are available and reasonably cheap right now. Also, there are tons of projects that you can get involved in that mean you can do charity work while out there.

Start your own business

Although a scary prospect, this doesn’t necessarily have to be something that you risk all your money on. Try to find sponsors, grants and bursaries, check with your government and large organisations. Why not write or try to contact some prestigious business men in a similar field. Think Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Alan Sugar. The worse they can do is say no! If you have a unique idea then you can always start small and build it up gradually, establishing yourself. It’ll certainly be an experience and you might learn a lot about yourself and about business in the process even if you don’t follow it all through.

Do a placement

The Da Vinci placements are just an example of the type of placements out there. Check out organisations related to the area you’re interested in and you might find more than you think.

Try something new

Rather than narrowing your job search to your degree subject, why not try applying for jobs that you like the sound of. Emphasize your so called “transferable” skills on your CV and try to show why you’d be good in that job. Just think of Will Smith in Pursuit of Happyness!

Fulfill your dreams

If none of that takes your fancy, think about getting any job you can to pay the rent. It is likely that these wont take up as much time as a full career would, so you can fulfill any dreams. I mean things like write a novel, take a course in rock climbing, learn a new language, volunteer with a charity (all things I’m planning on doing). The other great thing about this is that it builds up your CV, making you more employable in the future.

Well that’s it…I hope to see you out there! Be brave and remember “the worst type of failure is when you don’t even try and you never know what you could’ve achieved!” Good luck.