How best to leverage your degree for career success

You’ve worn the cap and gown, you have a large piece of paper in your hand, and you can’t help but wonder, what do I do now?
Young people spend so long in education that when that official pathway comes to an end it can be difficult to envision what exactly one can or should do next. But the truth of the matter is, that piece of paper is simply representative of the vast amounts of knowledge you have acquired over the past three or four years.
In previous generations just having a degree was considered being an outlier, with many people going straight into the workforce after secondary school. But this has changed.
According to the most recent data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland had a higher rate of third-level, or tertiary, education in 2021 than the European average, with 62 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds having a tertiary qualification that year, compared with the EU average of 41 per cent.
This increase in the number of people furthering their education after secondary school is excellent for job prospects but even with that qualification on their CV many graduates still feel overwhelmed by the thought of entering the workforce.
It also makes it more difficult to stand out from the crowd when seeking employment. The important next step is thinking about how you can apply knowledge you’ve acquired and maximise the potential of your degree.
According to career consultant Terry O’Brien, the first thing graduates should do is highlight any project work they have completed during their course; this, he says, is tangible evidence of skills acquired, as opposed to just something listed on a CV.
“Some courses in college are tailored towards project work. There’s a certain amount of theory and [they] then have continuous assessment or a project on a specific area. This is really important to highlight,” he said
Many courses can be quite career specific; in these, you learn job-specific practical skills. But already being armed with skills such as proficiency in computer programmes – Microsoft Excel, for example, “which is hugely important”, says Mr O’Brien, can benefit graduates.
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“You couldn’t believe the amount of companies who want people who can use Excel spreadsheets,” he says. “The other thing, as an extension of Excel, is this whole area of data analytics.”
But what about graduates who haven’t picked a degree course that provides a clear-cut path to employment? In fact, choosing general degrees, such as business, science or art, can be an advantage; individuals who have done so have opportunities to try multiple areas within a sector.
A general business degree, for instance, has a variety of modules, such as marketing, human resources and finance. While all coming under the umbrella term of business, these lay the groundwork for different employment opportunities, allowing students to determine which areas best align with their interests and passions. These broad degrees act as something of a “blank canvas”, says Mr O’Brien.
“So [graduates] have a wide understanding of business and how it works. But one of the positives of that is you are totally open to being shaped and trained in by a company,” he says.
“Companies sometimes don’t want somebody who has already specialised. They want somebody with a broad knowledge and who is therefore open to being trained up. A lot of graduates who don’t have much work experience, the benefit is they can be shaped by a particular company.”
Mr O’Brien gives the example of working in the insurance industry. People who have studied finance would have an understanding of the context in which the insurance industry does and how it works.
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“So they nearly take an apprenticeship-style approach and get trained up in a particular area,” he adds.
Although most graduates don’t have a huge amount of work experience, that doesn’t have to define them, in Mr O’Brien’s view. Employers know this in advance of hiring graduates and it is not something that necessarily works against graduates applying for jobs.
“What you want to do is sell the fact you are young, you’re adaptable, you’re flexible, you want to learn, so you can be the person who wants to do those extra projects – any extra work that’s required within the office,” he says.
“As a graduate, one of the biggest things you have to offer is this flexibility and adaptability. You’re basically saying you can do four or five things but you’re open to taking on more projects.”
But there are also many skills acquired throughout a degree that students may not even recognise as being a benefit when seeking employment or when in the workplace.
Most courses now require group work, which teaches students how to work as part of a team, organisational skills, as well as leadership skills, and learning to give presentations teaches students communication skills.
As a result of being required to complete assignments throughout university, graduates will understand the importance of deadlines, and will be equipped to manage their time effectively to meet these demands.
Being a self-starter is also a key skill picked up throughout the completion of higher education. When it comes to completing assignments or studying course material, there is nobody hovering over students to ensure they do what they’re supposed to do.
As a result, young people learn to motivate themselves. At the end of the day, if they don’t complete the coursework, the only person it affects is themself. This self-motivation will be fundamental to being a good worker, when there are often knock-on consequences to the incompletion of work.
These are all required skills in the workplace. According to Mr O’Brien, “they all benefit”.
“A lot of courses have changed to become more project based or [focused on] classroom-based assessment. The future of work is developing; those particular skills are growing more and more important – being able to start, being able to manage and being able to finish a project,” he says.
“The presentations come in terms of demonstrating are you able to communicate information. Are you able to visualise information and then talk about it? That’s a very important skill.”
But even the extracurricular activities you did throughout college can be utilised to make yourself seem more employable.
“So if they joined any clubs or societies or associations, or if they held any particular positions within them – chairperson, treasurer, event organiser, whatever – they are great skills that you’re able to add to your offering,” says Mr O’Brien.
“You’re able to say, ‘Actually I’m the event coordinator for a particular event’. And so, therefore, it gives the employer evidence that you have that skill set already.”
There are benefits also, through the connections students make while at university. Be that through clubs and societies or with education staff, it creates a network of potential contacts that could benefit graduates when entering the job market.
Again and again, employers and career advisers speak about the importance of networking. Don’t be afraid to use the breadth of contacts you’ve acquired on your educational journey to help you have the career you’ve always wanted or dreamed of.