做好准备，毕业有“位”来

Graduate employment levels are improving， but you must look beyond your academic work alone.

As Ucas forms are filled in， personal statements written， and the 17-year-olds of Great Britain sit down to decide on what degree they will study at university， theres a lot at stake. Over and above the student debt， and the potential best-friendmaking is the question of what one might do with a degree having completed it， and what career it might lead to.

“Graduate” and “employment” are not terms that have always sat comfortably together， but recently things have been looking up. The Higher Education Statistics Agency （HESA） found that the percentage of university leavers in full-time employment was up by just under two percent in 2012—2013 from the previous year. Although this figure hasnt yet reached a pre-recession level， it bodes well for the minefield that is the post-graduation job hunt.

So far， among my friends， further study has been more popular than employment. Many， finding that their arts and humanities degrees were too vague， have sought postgraduate study instead. One pal， a Leeds University graduate of 2013 now working as a headhunter， counted her employed friends on one hand. “Ive got… three，” she said.“One is working abroad， one at her dads company， and another is in advertising.”

Of late， university has been sold as a reliable route into employment， and my generation has been thrust into higher education on the premise that when we emerge， degree certificate in clammy hand， we will be offered a job. But this simply doesnt hold up anymore： as higher education has been turned into a commodity， undergraduate degrees have lost their worth.

Last week the retail mogul， entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis confirmed this for me at a vocational skills event. “Having a degree means nothing，” he barked into my tape recorder. “I look at what skill sets people have got. Thats key.”

Tell that to the 400，000 students who applied to university last year， and to all of those with undergraduate degrees nationwide. Do not be alarmed， parents， teachers and sixth formers. Having a degree does mean something， but only when it is combined with something else—industry experience， marketable skills， a USP.

But what kind of activities should students engage in to promote themselves in the job market？ I asked a few employed graduates for some help. “Work experience is really key，”Northumbria University graduate Helen Flannery， who now works in PR， explains. “It puts you ahead of the game， as many graduate jobs require relevant experience in a similar role as well as a degree. Volunteering is also a good idea， even if its one day or one evening a week. Use the university careers office， too. They can give you clear and sound advice before you head out into the job market.”

Jennifer Ormiston， a masters graduate of environment management from the University of Stirling， urges undergraduates to make an early start on contact-development. “I would recommend that students join whichever professional institution is related to their career，” she says. “You get to attend all sorts of big events with professionals， and they are a great opportunity to network.”

But how should sixth formers prepare for the world of work even as they choose their university options？ At 17， choosing where you want to live， study and make friends for the next three years is one task—considering the future is quite another.

It pays to think about it， if you can. “Very few people know about the industry of choice that theyre going into，”businesswoman， Apprentice adviser and peer-to-be Karren Brady explains. “I think that theres a bit of a disconnect between the selection of the [university] course， the reasons for the selection of the course， and the realistic expectations of the course.” And shes right： at 17， most people dont know what they want to be when they grow up. Indeed， some adults still dont， well into middle age.

One friend explains to me her approach to applying to university. “I was lucky that I knew what I wanted to do， and understood that the best place for this was London. I applied to all of the best universities there， interned throughout my degree and got a safe 2.1. That earned me a job offer two months before graduation， and a second by September.”

Would she recommend that strategy？ “Absolutely. If youre very ambitious and know what you want， then go for it. Incorporate your university choice into your career—pick the right city for the right job opportunities. The jobs are out there， if you look for them.”

One thing that university affords some students is the opportunity for a year out， either abroad or in a chosen industry.“Because I studied French， I was able to take a year abroad as part of my degree，” Oxford graduate Jake Hills， who now works at a PR firm， explains. “I spent six months working at an ad agency in France， and that got me interested in marketing and branding. I went through the normal interview process to get my job—I think it helped that I had translatable work experience.”

There is a lot to be said for a year out of university. One friends maths degree allowed her a year to begin training as an accountant at a big London firm. She now has a place to finish the scheme in 2015 when she graduates， and after that will be placed in a permanent role. Another friend， a Lancaster University Business Management graduate， picked up a job at a major electronics corporation having spent her “year in industry” at the company. She has since bounded up the promotion ladder， just three years after finishing her degree.

But what is the best advice for anyone who isnt sure about what lies ahead after university？“Dont pigeonhole yourself too much when you choose your course，”Hills says. “Think about how ‘mappable the skills you could learn studying will be to real life. I ultimately decided to study French because I thought that having a language would be a practical thing.”

Theres no mad rush， journalism graduate Jessica McDonnell tells me. “If youre not too sure about what you would like to do when you finish university， take a year out and assess where you want to be.”

“Theres nothing wrong with being indecisive，” Jordan Lambe， a now-employed graduate of Leeds Metropolitan University， agrees. “We live in a world where its easier than ever to dip in and out of different careers， so the worst thing you can do is worry about making the wrong decision.”

Its all about you in the end. “Shoot for your dream and dont be afraid to take risks，” Leicester University sociology graduate Daniel Odutola says. “Be prepared to work very hard and be persistent！” That， coming from your parents， friends or teachers， is the best advice that anyone can give.

毕业生就业率正在上升，但你不能单着眼于自己的学业。

填好了高校招生服务处的表格，写好了个人陈述，17岁的英国学生坐下来考虑着他们要在大学中学习哪个学位，其中有很多东西需要慎重考虑。除了学生贷款和潜在的交友问题外，还要考虑修完学位后要怎么做，这个学位能让自己找到什么样的工作。

“毕业生”和“就业”两个词并不时常能和谐地一起出现，但最近情况有所好转。英国高等教育统计局发现大学毕业生获得全职工作的比例较去年有所上升，只比2012—2013年度低了2%。虽然数据还没达到经济衰退前的水平，但对毕业求职这个危机来说是个好预兆。

目前，在我的朋友圈中，继续进修比就业更受欢迎。很多人觉得他们的文学和人文学位太虚了，于是决定读研。一位朋友是利兹大学2013年毕业生，她现在的职业是猎头，她朋友中就业的人数用五个手指就能数完。“我有……三个，”她说。“一个在国外工作，一个在她爸爸的公司上班，还有一个在广告行业。”

近来，读大学被吹嘘成就业的可靠途径，我这一代人被推入大学的前提是我们毕业时，冒汗的手能接过学位证书，我们会得到一份工作。但现在的情况已经不再是这样了：随着高等教育成为商品，大学毕业证书已失去了价值。

上周，零售业巨头、企业家、《龙穴》名人西奥·帕菲提斯在一个职业技能讲座中肯定了这一点。“学位没一点用处，”他对着我的磁带录音机大声说道。“我要看到他们的技能。这才是关键所在。”

把这句话告知去年申请大学的40万学生，还有国内拥有大学毕业证书的人。但父母、教师和高中毕业生们不要给吓到了。拥有学位当然是有用的，但同时也要有工作经验、工作技能、个人特长。

但学生们应该参与哪些活动以提高自己的求职技能？我询问了一些找到工作的毕业生。“工作经验很重要，”诺森比亚大学毕业生海伦·弗兰纳里解释说，她现时在公关公司工作。“工作经验会让你处于领先地位，因为很多毕业生职位需要相关的职位经验和学位。参加志愿工作也很好，即使一周只参与一天或一个晚上。好好利用大学职业指导办公室，在你走入求职市场前，他们会给你清晰有用的建议。”

珍妮弗·奥米斯顿是斯特林大学的环境管理专业硕士毕业生，她认为大学毕业生要尽早开始发展人际关系。“我建议学生加入与职业相关的专业机构，”她说。“你要与专业人士一起参加各种大型活动，这是建立人際关系的大好机会。”

然而，高中毕业生在选择大学时该如何为职场做准备呢？17岁时，其中一个任务是选择接下来的三年你想在哪生活，学习和交友，而考虑将来则是另一个任务。

如果你能做到，考虑将来对你有好处。“只有极少数人知道他们将来要选择的行业，”一位女商人、《飞黄腾达》的顾问（即将与卡伦·布雷迪成为同事）说道。“我认为所选的课程、选择课程的原因和对课程的实际期望之间的联系不甚紧密。”她是对的：大多数人在17岁的时候都不知道自己长大后想做什么。事实上，有些成年人到了中年也搞不清楚这点。

一位朋友告诉我她申请大学的方式。“我很幸运知道自己想做的是什么，知道最好的工作机会在伦敦。我申请了那里所有的好大学，大学期间我都有实习，拿到了安全的2.1绩点。这让我在毕业前两个月就获得了一个工作机会，9月份时有了第二个机会。”

她推荐那样的策略吗？“当然会。如果你有雄心壮志，并知道自己想做什么，那就去做吧。把选择大学和职业挂钩——选一个有合适工作机会的城市。工作就在那儿，只等你去找。”

大学会让一些学生外出学习一年，出国或是进入选定的行业。“因为我学的是法语，作为完成学位的一部分，我可以出国一年，”牛津大学毕业生杰克·希尔斯说道，他现时在公关公司工作。“我在法国花了半年时间在一家广告公司工作，我在那对营销和品牌策划产生了兴趣。我通过一般的面试程序得到了这份工作——我觉得我的优势在于拥有可转化利用的工作经验。”

大学期间的外出学习一年还有很多可说的。一位朋友所学的数学学位让她有机会在伦敦的一家大公司接受会计培训。她在2015年毕业后就可以结束培训，然后会有一个长期的职位。还有一个朋友，她是兰卡斯特大学工商管理的毕业生，在一家大型电子公司实习一年后，正式进入了这家公司。毕业三年后，她就爬上了晋升的阶梯。

但对那些不清楚自己毕业后该做什么的人，有什么好建议呢？“选择课程时，不要把自己局限在某个领域，”希尔斯说。“想想你学习的技能在现实生活的用处。我最终选择学习法语是因为我觉得掌握一门语言有实用价值。”

不要仓促行事，新闻学毕业生杰西卡·麦克唐纳告诉我。“毕业时如果不太确定自己想做什么，你可以花一年时间出去走走，看看自己想做什么工作。”

“犹豫不决不是你的错，”乔丹·兰布也这样认为，他是利兹城市大学的毕业生，毕业即找到了工作。“我们现在要换工作比以前容易多了，因此，最糟糕的事情就是担心自己做错决定。”

最终一切都取决于你自己。“为梦想而努力，不要害怕冒险，”莱斯特大学社会学专业毕业生丹尼尔·奥都图拉说。“做好刻苦学习和坚持的准备！”这就是你父母、朋友或老师能给你的最好建议。