The mistake students make when considering jobs

Where you work is as important as who you work for after college. So why do so many students get it wrong?

It’s more than who you work for

There are 168 hours in a week. After graduation you’re free to choose how and where you spend those hours and your decision will impact your health, happiness, and success.

While applying for jobs during college, it’s common for students to be narrowly focused on the companies and the positions, neglecting the environment they’ll be living in. When you relocate for a job, you aren’t just deciding where to work but also where everything else in your life will take place. After all, the fabled 9–5 job leaves you with a whole 72 hours of awake time per week.

72 hours to do whatever you’d like. Time for making friendships, practicing hobbies, giving back to the world, accomplishing personal goals, and building the life you envision for yourself. The community you inhabit can facilitate these pursuits or, they can present barriers.

In the years immediately after college, you’ll embark on rapid career and personal growth. What you’ve learned in college is simply the beginning of a lifetime of lessons and experiences. That’s why it’s so critical to choose a place that allows you to develop, with a community that empowers your goals. When your surroundings resonate with you, you construct a strong foundation to build upon in the ensuing years.

With “where” being such an important component, why do so many students then still forget about it?

Be careful of these problematic thoughts

You wouldn’t lease an apartment without ensuring it has your most important amenities. So why would you move hundreds or thousands of miles without ensuring your destination meets your most important preferences? For most students, it’s because of a few common, but hazardous, thoughts. Once we recognize the pitfalls, we can avoid them.

“I don’t have enough skills”

The jobs you’re applying for while in college are entry-level positions designed to be filled by recent college graduates. Good recruiters will realistically understand what you have learned so far. After all, you were only introduced to your field a few years ago. What they’re really gauging then is how well you fit in with the company culture and how quickly you can learn new things. You should be knowledgeable, but you should also be prepared to learn far more than you can in the limited time at a university.

Once you realize that you aren’t lagging behind your peers and you actually do have remarkable skills, you can establish the confidence needed to pick the right job for you. And selecting that job includes considering where you’ll need to live. You can go anywhere with your skills, so take the opportunity to pick the best option.

“It’s only temporary”

Career norms are dramatically different than they were only a few decades ago. It’s common for people to change roles about every three years. Whether that new role is at the same company or a different one, sometimes it means relocating to a new city as well.

You may write off these three years as simply a quick stint, but you’d be neglecting those years’ significance in your life. The three years after college will account for up to 12% of your life at that point. It’s the foundation of your adult life. Think of how much you’ve done during your years in college. Now, amplify it by the significance of having limitless personal freedom.

So while yes it is temporary, it’s key to set yourself on the right foot. Even just three years can influence an entire decade either negatively or positively. Choose a place you’ll love to live and when it’s time for the next step in your life, you’ll be ready for further success.

“I’m limited to certain areas”

You may believe that your job opportunities are restricted to a very limited set of places. However, there are always diverse options available no matter how small the scope may seem. Even if your field is very localized, there are still several choices and one will undoubtedly be the best fit for you.

For instance, students in software and hardware fields might believe that San Francisco or Seattle are their only options. While the Bay Area is an established and revered tech hub, there are more than half a dozen major cities in the nation with thriving tech scenes. And these places are developing quickly. Cities like Austin and Raleigh have been growing with tremendous speed and have established their own unique tech ecosystems.

Nuclear engineers, additionally, may be restricted to work near nuclear facilities. However in the entire country, there are many cities that fit this requirement and each has a distinct atmosphere and culture.

Similarly, licensed professionals are often legally restricted to a particular state. But even within a single state, cultures and lifestyles are dramatically different. For example, life in Chicago is wildly different from the surrounding suburbs, let alone the rest of Illinois!

As you can see, regardless of your specialty, you have options. No matter how limited geographically you think your job opportunities are, there’s always the ability to make decisions and choose the place that best fits your personality and skills.

Successfully launch your post-college life

Now you realize how important it is to live somewhere you love after college. But how do you know you’ll love living there before you commit to it? Previously it would involve a lot of manual research. But now, you can use MapTitan to instantly see the places that match your individual preferences.

On demand service and ultra-personalization have made their way into modern life. Think of how Netflix displays different movie recommendations for different people. Those thoughtful recommendations are just for how you’ll spend the next two hours! So why then would anyone get advice about where they should live for the next few years without it being customized for their own uniqueness?

You’re not like anyone else and there are many options with where you can go. So use MapTitan to discover where you’ll be best prepared to do incredible things after college. Great experiences are ahead of you and it’s easier than ever to see where you’ll find success in your post-college life.

Where should you live next? Try MapTitan Match, the fast, free way to get personalized recommendations for places you’ll love to live and work after graduation.