So, you’ve finished your studies, picked up a degree and now the working world awaits you. You’ve worked hard for three years at university to set yourself up for the rest of your life, but now you’ve got to take the first step of the journey that is your career – but which path will you take? If you’re at a crossroads and unsure of which career path to head down, continue reading our guide on six amazing graduate jobs to help you make up your mind.
Graduate schemes
Before deciding on which career you’re going to attempt straight out of university, and jump into an entry level job, just know that there are graduate schemes out there for you that might be a better option. They give people like yourself the opportunity to start working at a company straight after your studies have finished. They will train and mentor you to develop your skills in order to progress through the business throughout your career.
Graduate schemes are available across all industries, but not all companies offer them. Think about the career path you’d like to take and check to see if there are any big companies offering graduate schemes.
If you’re still a little unsure on what your next step is after education, here are six amazing graduate jobs you should consider as you make the big leap into the working world:
- SEO specialist
- Sales executive
- Teaching assistant
- Copywriter
- Accountant
- Human resources
SEO specialist
The digital revolution is well underway with more of the world moving online and becoming digital than ever before. During the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses that adopted the digital world thrived in comparison to companies that acted slowly. This has led to an increase in digital marketing and SEO specialist opportunities arising across the board. A lot of companies are hiring for these types of positions within their structure, but agencies are growing, with more job openings up every day.
Marketing is a very popular career choice for graduates, so embracing the digital nature of the working world is an obvious evolution from this role. Businesses want to take themselves online, but most of them have no idea – or a lack of time – how to enhance their visibility in the digital world. This is where SEO specialists and digital marketers work their magic, lifting businesses higher up Google rankings, increasing impressions to their website and building brand identity, sales, and much more.
An SEO specialist’s role involves a number of different exciting tasks, like content writing, social media management, marketing campaigns, keyword research and implementation, and more.
If you’re wondering why SEO specialists are so sought after in the modern age, think about how long ago it was that you clicked through to the second page of Google. Their job is to make sure that you find their clients on the first page.
Sales executive
Sales is one of the three highest paying jobs in the UK, alongside doctors and pilots, so if money interests and drives your career choices then give it a go.
Becoming a successful sales executive to the point where you are earning big money can be extremely difficult and, obviously, not everyone reaches such a high level. However, a relatively successful sales executive can earn a modest salary – enough to support a family – and learn plenty of skills along the way, as well as climb the ranks of the company they work for.
All companies need to sell something. Even charities need to persuade people to donate money to them, which is another form of sales promotion. Sales will always be needed in the business world, and good salespeople will always be in high demand.
If you’re confident, articulate, and have excellent people skills then sales could be the right choice for you after graduation. It can also be a good stepping stone to greater things later in your career. Working in sales and improving your skills is something that could really help you later in life.
High-pressure sales jobs do come with plenty of pressure, but the reward of earning high commissions on big sales can offset any stress. Entry level positions are less demanding and often don’t require a higher education diploma, or past work experience. Plenty of companies are willing to take graduate students on and train them up to become a success.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, consider sales as your career straight out of university.
Teaching assistant
Graduate teaching assistant jobs provide an excellent opportunity after higher education to further yourself professionally, socially and emotionally. Helping to educate and support pupils in schools is a great way of giving yourself a rewarding experience and career after you’ve finished your education.
A teaching assistant position doesn’t pay as much as a sales executive, for example, but is a brilliant field of work to enter if you want to make a difference in young people’s lives.
The role of a teaching assistant is to provide support where necessary to a classroom teacher, like preparing the classroom for lessons, decorating, supervising the students and performing administrative work. However, you’ll also be given the responsibility to encourage, educate and support pupils through their education, providing a meaningful learning experience in group sessions, or one-to-one.
Think of the adults you remember best from your school days. The chances are, most of them were teaching assistants. As a teaching assistant, you’ll play a part in so many success stories as pupils excel and go on to bigger and better things later in life.
Copywriter
If writing is your passion then you can’t go wrong with going down the route of a copywriter. Writing descriptive content for brands, or a single company, can be a solid base for the rest of your writing career.
Starting out at a digital agency, where you will end up covering a wide range of industries, is not only a great way to improve your writing skills but will also help you learn a lot about different subjects, which can only help you further down the road in your career.
Starting out as a copywriter is also a great way to move onto bigger things later in life. If writing a book is your ultimate goal, this gives you the opportunity to achieve it. Writing daily can also help you push towards journalism, if that’s your passion.
With more and more businesses turning to the internet to promote their brands, more content is needed to attract users and impressions, so there is a lot of work for writers in 2022.
Accountancy
As long as businesses continue to run (which is forever) money will constantly be changing hands. This is why accountants are essential to the everyday running of businesses, and why there are always opportunities to enter the field.
A junior accountant in the UK can earn a starting salary of between £18,000 and £26,000, which is a very good starting point. A career in accountancy requires strong numeracy skills and an analytical mind, so if this is you, you should strongly consider it.
Should you excel in the industry, you could end up working for a top firm in the UK, drastically increasing your salary expectations.
As well as this, accountancy is a great career for you to branch off on your own in future, offering a financial service to multiple companies and individuals. This gives you even greater scope to earn money, so accountancy is definitely a field to get involved in. If you start at graduate level and really put the work in, there’s no reason why you can’t excel to achieve a high position at a large company.
Human resources
This may not sound like the most attractive job in the world, but there are so many opportunities available to you, and with plenty of growth in the sector.
Think about any relatively large company on earth that you could potentially work for. They would require a human resources (HR) team to look after the staff and potentially even the financial side of the company if there is no finance team.
A role in HR means you’re responsible for helping with staff-related issues, which could involve any or all of recruitment, payroll, employment policies and benefits, sick pay, maternity leave, and so much more. HR also acts as middlemen for employees and managers to discuss any problems and can also clarify information.
The good news is that most HR openings don’t require a specific qualification, so if you’re at a crossroads early in your career and just looking to step onto the corporate ladder, HR may be the best place for you. Graduates will usually start off as an HR assistant or HR administrator, but there is a ladder to climb, like all industries, and one day you could be leading your own HR department of a major UK company.
What do you think of these 6 amazing graduate jobs? Any that pique your interest? Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these roles or are looking to start your career in one of them…
