Tips you need to know for a smooth student to professional transition

Are you on the brink of exiting college armed with that degree you have worked towards putting to use? Shifting from the exciting but safe space of college to the real but limitless world outside can be daunting and overwhelming. It’s a time of varied thoughts, emotions, and of course, anxiety levels which if not addressed adequately and correctly, can make this transition you have been waiting for more overwhelming than it should actually be.

Walking into the world where you’re free of the many preset schedules that have been set for you can feel liberating and mind-boggling in equal parts. Let’s take a look at some handy and unmissable tips to make this journey for you a memorable and smooth one.

Take a moment for yourself: Assess where you are, where you have come from, and where you wish to go from here. Acknowledge your efforts, analyze your weaknesses, gather your strengths. Befriend confidence and positivity but steer clear of overconfidence. Walk towards your next destination with your workplace etiquettes in place and the professional goals you wish to draw for yourself.

Employ discipline: College life with all its “grown up” demeanour, did after have a strong structure in place for you to adhere to. Moving past college and into the professional world where the onus lies on you can snowball into becoming an overwhelming experience if discipline is kept at bay. Maintain a schedule for yourself at and outside of work. While your new job may require the most out of you, a keen sense of discipline goes a long way in not just ensuring the completion of work on time, but also some chance of a healthy work-life balance.

Be realistic: Oftentimes our expectations of this exciting, liberating, paycheck-funded life wither into a series of disappointments if we fail to adjust our expectations situationally and generally. The stress of work, the shouldering of increasing accountability that permeates beyond your immediate network, the balance of authority figures, the comparisons and politics, among other factors are real, present, and often pervasive if we do not acknowledge their presence and develop strategies to tackle them. Ensure you have a support system that looks out for your well-being within and outside your workspace.

Embrace change: Your environment, your schedule, your life, your friends, your networks, your connections, your peers and seniors, your day-to-day life, your knowledge, the development of your skill sets, your employability, your success and failures, your sense of self are all about to experience change. Some of this change will be pleasant, some challenging - all leading towards scope for better growth if acknowledged and dealt with in a compassionate, and non self-sabotaging manner.?

It takes courage, a clear head, and an arsenal of strategies that are mostly picked up by experience and with the help of a good support system to enter this brand new world which awaits you with its doors wide open. The journey ahead is filled with thrills, knowledge, engagement, and learning - where there's a place for everyone to make a mark for themselves.