Pre-Graduation Preparations: Things You Can Do to Prepare Yourself for the ‘Real World’
As June, July, and August approach, we all know what that means—it’s graduation season! If you’re a current student, you may have heard people say that you should be ready to face the ‘real world‘ after graduation. Some of us in our batch even took this lightly, thinking we’ve all been living in the same world as everyone else. However, as someone who graduated years ago, I can say that the ‘real world‘ is indeed daunting.
If I hadn’t prepared certain things, I might have had a much harder time adjusting. Even though I found it difficult at first, taking care of these matters early can save you time and allow you to focus more on your job-seeking journey. So, if you start now, it will make the transition smoother and more tolerable.
Pre-Graduation Preparations: Things You Can Do to Prepare Yourself for the ‘Real World’
These pieces of advice came from my family and my not-by-blood elder brothers and sisters at the university. Now, I want to share the same wisdom with those who are still in college.
1. As early as now, you can get your government-issued IDs
If you can find time to acquire government-issued IDs, it’s ideal to do so before commencement to save time. In the Philippines, there will always be queues, so it’s important to get your IDs early. This will enable you to focus on your job-seeking.
Speaking of job-seeking, here are the common government-issued identifications employers look for:
- PSA Birth Certificate
- Social Security System number (SSS)
- PhilHealth number
- Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
- Pag-Ibig MID
If an employer requires additional identification, at least you’ll already have two or three of the necessary documents. This way, you’ll only need to take care of one more, which is much easier than completing all of them at once.
2. Build up your CV/Resume
This helped reduce my anxiety before graduating and finding a job. Since I don’t like handling everything at once, I took care of my curriculum vitae (CV) early using Canva so I would only need to update them if I missed anything.
To do this, start by listing all your educational background, skills, work experience (including internships), and references in a generalized resume. Then I have another comprehensive CV that became my go-to document for applying to companies. For each specific job application, I tailored my CV by including only the educational background, skills, and work experience relevant to the position I was applying for.
However, if you’re unsure about which position to apply for, it’s okay to use your general resume and discuss your options with the employer’s HR during the job interview.
3. Take the time to learn technical skills
Since you’re still in the haven of learning, numerous webinars on the internet impart valuable knowledge to their audiences. Ideally, you should attend online seminars related to your college degree to catapult yourself towards new learnings.
Aside from attending online seminars (which can also be included in your CV in the ‘Seminars Attended’ section), you can also dedicate a portion of your time to part-time jobs. This will help you apply what you’ve learned in a practical setting.
These are the things I tried, except for the last one. And it hit me that I should’ve done that, too. That way, it might’ve helped me more.
That’s why I recommend that students and future graduates become proactive, organized, and open to new learning experiences. It’s natural to feel anxious after college; everyone does. Along with anxiety, it’s normal to feel scared of the uncertainties. No matter how much you think you’re prepared for the ‘real world,’ life will always surprise you, and you must be ready to take on the challenge.
So why did I write this? Because I want to help lessen the feelings of anxiety, so the only thing you’ll need to worry about is where life will take you—a much bigger question. No matter what, it’s important to always keep your eyes on your goals. When staying motivated seems hard, it’s okay to take your time, take a deep breath, and remind yourself: you’ve got this!
