When you’re at university, the idea of prospect of graduating tends to seem a million miles away. Once all regalia (and the expense) is over though - the cap and gown have been returned and degree certificates posted – what remains is the daunting question of where to go next and whether you are actually qualified to do anything in the “real world”.

The most obvious question to address, at least initially is whether to continue into postgraduate education or make a break for the world of work. After over fifteen years of consistent education anyone would be forgiven for wanting a break from the lecture notes and essays deadlines. Along with this is the inevitable question of funding. Thousands of young graduates leave university having amassed huge amounts of debt over the course of their degree, and with this comes a desire to begin paying off that dreaded overdraft rather than adding to it.

Subsequent study, therefore may well seem like an impossible expense, at least straight off the back of a degree. However, there are many different ways to fund postgraduate courses including a number of bursaries and grants - available if you are willing to apply early and work through the painstaking application stages. They are, however, often incredibly popular and chances of being successful can ultimately be slim. Notably, funded courses such as the PGCE teaching qualification remain popular, with almost 50,000 people beginning the course this autumn whilst receiving monthly payments to soften the blow of tuition fees. So, although prospective teachers may be able to breathe a little easier, post-graduate learning can unfortunately often turn out to be costly in the short-term.

Much like the alternatives, the pursuit of university education at graduate level isn’t something that is right for everyone. The costs can be high and the returns slight if you don’t take the time to find the course that is right for you.

Alternatively of course, there are numerous graduate recruitment schemes out there ready to persuade you that the world of work is right for you. And it could well be if you are the sort of enviable individual who has a career plan in mind already. Those of us who haven’t, though, can take solace in the fact that the average adult in the UK has at least three career changes in their lifetime anyway so there isn’t too much of a rush to find that dream job.

Consequently, at least for me, postgraduate study seems to occupy an intermediary position - offering the chance to edge towards a specific career field without actually signing a contract and saying goodbye to student life entirely. Postgraduate education also offers the opportunity to convert undergraduate qualifications into career-based skills needed for the workplace.

Fortunately, there are courses available which are less focussed upon the classroom, enabling those of us who have become weary of the lecture/notes/essay cycle to try something more vocational. This can also be seen as an antidote to the catch-22 situation graduates often find themselves in of not being able to get a job without work experience but not being able to fund themselves for unpaid placements without a job.

As an English graduate, I, perhaps quite predictably, found myself drawn in by the world of journalism and consequently opted for a master’s qualification which seems to tick every box for me, incorporating the national qualification for journalists and work experience placements, with a postgraduate taught course.

Ultimately graduate status seems to ask one thing; for careful consideration of what is on offer to you, something that has no definite time limit. The path from graduate to grown up is perhaps the most difficult yet - some of us will speed through it, others perhaps at a more leisurely pace, all moving towards our chosen destination in the end. Hopefully.

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