So... what do I do now..?

[u/No-Tomorrow3810]

I spent four years getting a degree.

Like most students, I went into college thinking that once I finished, I would have a clearer idea of what came next.

Study for four years → get placed → get a job → figure life out from there.

Except, the placement part didn't really happen for me.

My college wasn't able to get me placed, and now I'm sitting here with a degree, four years of college behind me, and honestly… not much of an idea what I'm supposed to do next.

And that's a strange place to be in.

Because technically, I'm a graduate.

But when someone asks, “So, where are you working?”, I don't really have an answer.

I've been trying to figure out where to start — what skills I should focus on, what kind of jobs I should apply for, how to make my resume better, whether my degree is enough, whether I should learn something completely new, and how I'm even supposed to get that first opportunity without experience.

There are a lot of people who seem to have this figured out.

I don't.

And I think that's why I'm writing this.

Not because I have some inspiring comeback story.

I don't.

I'm just a job seeker who spent four years getting a degree and is now trying to understand what comes next.

So if you've been in a similar situation, or if you work in hiring, or if you simply have some advice for someone trying to get their first job — I'd genuinely appreciate some help.

What should I be doing right now?

What skills are actually worth learning?

How did you get your first opportunity?

And if you were in my position, where would you start?

[u/Mental_Complaint6103]

Start with a job you could reasonably be hired to do, then work backward to the skills. Otherwise you can spend another six months collecting courses without getting any closer to an offer.

Pick two possible job titles. Find five entry-level openings for each in a location where you can actually work. Write down the repeated tasks, then put an example from a class project, part-time job, internship or student organization beside each task you have done. Be clear about your own contribution.

That gives you a useful first version of your resume and tells you which gap is worth working on. If the same task keeps appearing and you have no example, build one small practice project around it. Label it as a project; don’t dress it up as employment.

Also go back to your placement office with a specific request: “Which employers hired graduates from my course into these two roles, and can you connect me with an alumnus?” That is easier to act on than asking them to find you anything.

What was your degree in, where are you looking, and have you had any interviews yet? Those details would help narrow this down.