Episode 73: So You've Graduated... Now What?

If you are a new graduate, then this episode is the place for you. We have invited 4 previous Multi Story Edinburgh guests back to the podcast, to give their advice on what to do once you leave university. 

All opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Edinburgh.
 
 Multi Story Edinburgh has been created and produced by the Alumni Relations team at the University of Edinburgh. If you are interested in telling your story, please get in touch and let’s talk!

Artwork: 

Graduates Vector created by freepik: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/flat-graduate-students-mantle-cap-holding-university-diploma-paper-scroll-happy-young-people-academic-gown-with-bachelor-degree-celebrating-graduation-from-college-university-high-school_26195120

Music: 

“Since When” by Mise Darling (modified). Sourced from Free Music Archive under license CC BY-SA. Available at: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mise/Rebel_1433/Mise_Darling_-_Rebel_-_11_Since_When_1357/ 

“Shake It!” by Jahzzar (modified). Sourced from Free Music Archive under license CC BY-SA. Available at: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Super_1222/01_Shake_It/ 

“Avientu” by Jahzzar (modified). Sourced from Free Music Archive under license CC BY-SA. Available at: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Sele/Avientu/ 

Multi Story Edinburgh is distributed and licensed CC BY-SA

Chapters

• 1:06 Michael
• 2:10 Zara
• 3:57 Molly
• 4:55 Jay

Transcript

Andrew: 0:09

Hello, and welcome back to a special bonus episode of Multi Story Edinburgh. The podcast where we experience a snapshot inside our graduates minds. For this special episode, we're going to revisit some previous Multi Story Edinburgh participants to ask them what they're up to now, and what advice they have for upcoming graduates, the class of 2023. First up, we have Michael and Zara, both from the class of 2021. When Michael was last on the podcast, he spoke in depth about his experience during the COVID pandemic, self esteem and trying to break into the music industry. Zara, on the other hand, spoke about entrepreneurship and her experience studying a language at university. Both of them now graduated are here to share their advice to the new cohort.

Michael: 1:06

Hi, there, I'm Michael and I'm a graduate from Edinburgh University. I studied maths and music, and I graduated in the summer of 2021. Now I work in commercial banking with JPMorgan Chase as a customer service agent. So my piece of advice would be, don't stress too much about finding a career that utilizes your degree straight away, it can be incredibly difficult to learn to draw job opportunities. And if that's something that you really want to pursue, but maybe does not have any luck with that just after graduating, or maybe don't, don't have anything lined up just now, it is not the end of the world. And there will be more opportunities that become available in the future. I would say focus just on finding something that can keep yourself afloat that gives you some time to work on hobbies and socialize and that isn't too stressful for you. And then use that time just to learn what your kind of work boundaries are, what you feel comfortable with doing and find out what you really enjoy so that when you do make that jump into a graduate role, you know, it's going to be what's best for

Zara: 2:10

Hi, I'm Zara. I studied Arabic and French at Edinburgh, you. graduating in 2021. I currently work for EMERGE an early stage investor in education technology companies, building the future of learning and work. I work remotely and move locations every month, having worked in countries all over the globe, from Australia to Argentina to Azerbaijan. My advice to graduates is to think beyond the conventional path, you have 80,000 hours in your career so take some time to consider what you're actually interested in. And don't settle for a job you hate. There are so many jobs out there that I didn't even know existed when I graduated. And AI is only accelerating that changing landscape. Speak to people in fields you're interested in asked them questions. Approach every conversation as an opportunity to learn things. And most importantly, don't be afraid of cold outreach. The worst that can happen is someone says no, or doesn't get back to you but if you don't ask you don't get and there are so many invisible backdoors into opportunities you only discover through building your network, but in a genuine and non-transactional way. Having the confidence to put yourself out there really opens you up to serendipity and opportunities you never knew possible.

Andrew: 3:13

Thank you very much to Michael and Zara for taking their time to share their thoughts. We have two more graduates to hear from now. Next, we're going to hear from Molly, also from the class of 2021. The last time we spoke to Molly, she told us about studying geology and physical geography whilst making life and career choices during a pandemic. Finally, we are going to hear from Jay who graduated in 2020. Jay was on the podcast at the start of the COVID pandemic and spoke to us about how his life was impacted by it, including saying goodbye to Edinburgh prematurely and finding a job during a difficult time. Now, Jay is back to continue his story and give a unique perspective to our graduates.

Molly: 3:57

Hi, my name is Molly. I graduated in 2021 from geology and physical geography. Now I live in the Highlands of Scotland and I work for a sustainable timber company with a load of architects. And my advice for graduates would be to trust the process. It can be a scary feeling, not knowing what you're going to do after you graduate. I know I certainly felt that way. But things have a funny way of working out. You may end up somewhere in a few years time you never thought you would be and it could be the best thing to happen to you. That's how I certainly feel after leaving uni I had the chance to travel experience new things and I moved to the highlands and I never imagined I would be here in this position. It's fantastic. So yeah, my my advice would be to trust the process at all. It will work out and you'll be grateful for it

Jay: 4:56

Hi, sau-di. My name is... but everyone calls me Jay. I'm from Thailand. I studied psychology at the University of Edinburgh and graduated at the start of the pandemic in 2020. When I did my Multi Story way back in 2020, I just got into my first job as a junior software developer, learning the ins and outs of the industry, but taking the plunge into an unexpected career path. Nowadays, I enjoy working as a software project manager, which is a pretty huge step forward from where I started. And so far, it's been amazing. I've met so many interesting people and had my fair share of stressful days. And I'm glad this is where I am now. It's always interesting where life takes you sometimes. And I guess that's where my piece of advice comes from. Never be afraid to try something new. You never know what to expect but you'll end up enjoying where life takes you.

Andrew: 5:47

Thank you to all of our graduates for returning to Multi Story Edinburgh to give their advice to the class of 2023. You can listen to each of their episodes on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Alternatively, you can find episodes of Multi Story Edinburgh available at www.ed.ac.uk forward slash alumni. Thank you for listening and see you next time for another episode of Multi Story Edinburgh.