Life after Graduation

A fresh undergraduate? On your last year of Uni and thinking of your options after graduation? Fret not, our very own Postgrads here at UWA have chipped in to give you their two cents on making your decision regarding your life after your undergraduate education is over. If it worked for them, it’ll probably work for you too.

Learn to say no and prioritise what is important for you. There will always be time to party and hang out with friends but you wont be able to make up for the time lost when a deadline is fast approaching and you haven’t put any effort towards the assignment thats due in 2 days.

I would have like to improve on my presentation skills. Compared to undergrad where you mostly do group presentation, in postgrad a lot of the time you have to do individual ones with field experts in the audience. So make sure to take all opportunities you get to present and practice, practice, practice.

I always knew what I wanted to do so making the decision to do a Master’s degree wasn’t a difficult one for me. However, if you need help deciding what to do in the future it would helpful to take on an internship or volunteering in an area of interest to see if it best suits you.

Put yourself out there, join clubs and societies to meet new friends. Plan for your future by applying for internships and joining professional clubs. Get a mentor to advise you and guide you through your uni life. You might not end up working a job in the course you’re studying, so try your best and enjoy yourself in the process!

Find out what skills are useful for your particular field and gear yourself towards it. If you’re doing a postgrad by research, talk to your supervisor to set expectations and pick up research skills. If you’re doing a postgrad by coursework, choose units that are relevant to your future career.

I didn’t have much of a choice of whether I wanted to continue studying a postgraduate as my undergrad did not allow me to work as an engineer. However, I also made a conscious choice in my postgraduate course to choose units that I enjoyed and that was related to the field I would like to work in for the future. Also, it would be a good idea to think about whether you actually need to get a postgraduate, or if it would be a better idea to work or take a break before coming back to study.

Come with an open mind to welcome people from all walks of life. Ability to be receptive to other cultures may help gain friends that may last a lifetime and make your uni life a bit more easier and enjoyable.

I believe all round organizational skills for better utilization of time would really help.

The time I spent working after my undergrad gave me a better perspective and helped me understand what I wanted to pursue further. Hence the advice I could give is research as much as possible before coming to a conclusion as to what you