How To Answer the Question: “What are your plans after graduation?”

The future has been on my mind a lot this week. I’m not sure whether the pandemic has made a difference, or if this is just something that happens with everyone as they near the completion of an undergraduate degree, but my view of what to do with my life after college is beginning to change. When I first entered college, as with many of my peers, the goal was to enjoy my time and have a stable job lined up for after graduation. Don’t get me wrong, I still want that (who wouldn’t), but I am considering some adjustments to that plan. I am now looking into going abroad after graduation and thought I would share why.

So many things can happen in a year, but each year seems to blur into the next. This year has been a safety bubble, which has made me realize how much more the world has to offer, and how much we are missing out on by staying in our comfort zones. As much as I love Boston, what else is out there? Although I didn’t grow up in America, it seems like traveling the world as an adult is much different than being a kid. After a lot of research, it seems like working abroad is completely doable. Most companies today are so modern and international that their employees can work from anywhere around the world. If anything, having employees based internationally is a benefit to companies more than anything because of the ability to breach cultural and language barriers as well as finding people with specialized skills who may not be available locally. Just look at Skillsoft! We have employees based in many locations internationally who are able to work together via teams and collaborate in ways that wouldn’t have been the traditional business standard. Realizing this has changed the way I view my path after graduation. Looking through a new lens, I can’t be the only one who is viewing life a little differently after the pandemic.

I still don’t know what I’ll do after graduation. Maybe I’ll be able to work and travel. Maybe I’ll end up in graduate school. Or maybe I’ll live at home for a year or two. Who knows? My point is that the generation of twenty-somethings entering the workforce are viewing life a lot differently than before. People now have new values, new ideas, and the ability to work anytime, anywhere. This is causing the business environment to adapt and function differently. In my opinion, this is an amazing change because it really means we can have it all; the dream job and the dream life can go hand-in-hand.