Recent graduates Nicole Tacsar, Emily Taft, Jenna Powell and Andrew Fischer offer their thoughts and advice on what comes after college. Credit: Abby Fricke | Managing Editor for Design
As graduation looms closer and closer for the class of 2024, anxiety around what comes next grows as well.
Whether students have plans yet or not, Buckeye alums have advice to share for those who will soon share their title.
The path after graduation
Nicole Tacsar earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in neuroscience and public affairs from Ohio State in May 2021 and recently graduated with a master’s degree in public administration in 2023. She now works as a program assistant for the Chicago branch of Local Initiative Support Corporation, a nonprofit focusing on community development, she said.
Tacsar said she could not find a job until months after graduation, with the job search being much longer and more taxing than she thought it would be.
“I probably applied to 150 jobs after I graduated and I probably interviewed with 10,” she said.
For students searching for a job after graduation, Tacsar said to widen the search and be open to every opportunity.
“It’s really important to realize your first job does not need to be your last job, “ she said.
She said those on the job hunt should not be worried about using their network and reaching out to anyone they think could lead to a job.
“That’s how the corporate world works, “ Tacsar said.
Similar to Tacsar, Emily Taft continued in higher education after earning her bachelor’s in history and minors in sociology and education in May 2023. She is now pursuing a master’s in education and is a student teacher at Hilliard Davidson High School teaching ninth-grade world history, she said.
Taft said she came to college as an exploratory student, and an interest in history and teaching drew her toward her current path.
Taft said networking and discovering opportunities is the best way a graduating student can go about finding what to do next.
“The more you talk to different people, the more you can narrow down what you want to do and where you want to work,” she said.
She said she encourages every student to take advantage of the career exploration resources the university has to offer.
Similar to Taft and Tacsar, Jenna Powell also furthered her education after earning her bachelor’s in English in May 2023 and is now in law school at Ohio State. Powell said she was set on law school before graduation because of the extensive application process and the LSAT requirement.
Studying for the LSAT and researching all application steps can seem intimidating, but she said starting early and connecting with professors and resources on campus can help make the process easier.
Nobody should be intimidated by law school, and if someone has a genuine interest they should go for it, she said.
“There’s all types of people in law school, “ Powell said. “All types of majors, too.”
But there isn’t always a clear path for everyone once graduation hits. Some may take a gap year to take a breath and re-evaluate all options — something May 2023 graduate Andrew Fischer decided to do.
Fischer graduated with a bachelor’s in history with minors in Spanish and film studies. During his gap year, he has decided to take the time to apply to graduate school, he said.
For Fischer, graduation was not an exciting time.
“My graduation day was not necessarily a happy day for me,” Fischer said. “ I was very stressed.”
He said he did not know what he wanted to do after graduation and all the pressure to figure it out was stressful, so he decided to take a gap year to figure out his future plans.
“I felt like I just wanted to take a step back from academics for a little bit and just kind of see what else is going on in the world,” Fischer said.
He said he encourages students considering a gap year to take it, as it is a break for one’s mental health and lets graduates take some much-needed time to figure things out before moving on to the next step in their lives.
Adjusting your schedule
For many, graduating college will be the first time living outside of a school schedule. Tacsar said the schedule of a full-time 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job was easy to transition into, and has been a better experience than her college schedule.
“I don’t feel like I take home as much of my schedule and work,” Tacsar said.
For Taft, graduate school has left her with a lot less free time, she said, due to juggling a Monday through Friday student teaching schedule along with evening classes.
“To do the things that I want to do, for me, has to be scheduled into my week, “ Taft said.
Powell said she has had a similar experience, with law school quite a different experience than undergraduate education.
“Professional school feels more like a job than undergrad ever did,” Powell said.
Powell said as an undergraduate she would do things on a whim, and always seemed to find time to get things done and fit in things she wanted to do. Now, she said, she has to block out time and focus more on time management.
Fischer said that at the start of his break from college, he had nothing planned.
“Going from a very strict schedule with college to no schedule was pretty jarring,” Fischer said.
Finding two part-time jobs gave him a schedule and helped him feel a lot better, he said.
“Finding some kind of normalcy is definitely good, “ Fischer said.
The finances
For many graduates, life after graduation will be the first time many have to handle finances on their own.
Tacsar said for those encountering financial management for the first time on their own, a good place to begin is creating a simple budget that just considers the basics of needs, wants and savings. She said to remember that it is okay to reach out to family and friends for help.
The influx of money from a full-time job can be overwhelming, but learning more about personal finances opens many doors.
“You have to start and then keep progressing and keep learning about personal finance as you go,” Tacsar said.
Taft said current undergraduate students should look to apply for different scholarships and grants while in school. Anything to ease student loans makes life as a graduate easier, she said.
Fischer said it is important to have both a long-term budget and a plan for what to do with each paycheck.
“Definitely have some savings, that’s for sure, “ Fischer said.
Staying connected with friends
Staying connected with friends after graduation can be a challenge. Taft said this is a struggle because everyone has moved to different places and is doing different things.
The best way to stay connected is to be intentional and plan to find times in between busy schedules to meet, and to put in the work to stay connected with people, she said.
Fischer agreed and said sending texts, voice messages or anything else is helpful by creating conversation and helping to keep connected.
“The world’s not going to force you together anymore, “ Fischer said. “You have to make plans.”
Powell said as an undergraduate it can feel like friends are always around, but after graduation, it takes more effort to find time within each other’s busy schedules to meet or call.
“Even though it can maybe feel a little forced that way, it still shows you want to spend time with each other,” Powell said.
Final Advice
Powell said upcoming graduates should use whatever time they have left at Ohio State to get involved, take a unique or interesting class for fun and take advantage of the wide range of campus offerings.
She said the organizations she was a part of and the people she met through them were well worth it.
“I’d say those gave me the most meaningful experiences,” Powell said.
Fischer said to enjoy the time at Ohio State as much as possible because even if it doesn’t feel like it, it will have gone by quickly.
“I will always treasure my time at OSU,” Fischer said.
Taft said it is important to remember that everyone is on their own timeline after graduation.
“You’ll all graduate together on the same day, but then it can be really easy to judge where you are compared to where you see the people that you’ve graduated with, “ Taft said.
Tacsar agreed and said that everyone’s journey looks different.
“Some people are going to be super successful off the bat and get the best job ever and that does not make your success any less,” Tacsar said.
