Future Career Plans?

It’s the second term of my final year and I’m filled with mixed emotions. I’m excited to graduate but also anxious. With the clock ticking, my focus has expanded beyond succeeding in my course to include future career plans. It’s never too early to think of your career aspirations and make steps towards them. Luckily, through the Career Development Service (CDS) here at the University of Leicester I’ve managed to do just that. Their guidance has been great but I’m still searching/deciding on a career path to take. Graduate jobs, future study, starting your own business or an amalgamation of some of these career routes are all possible options to any undergraduate. Moreover, there are a range of services in place to assist anyone that would like to pursue these career routes: TARGETjobs will routinely send emails about graduate job opportunities to those that have subscribed; FindAPhD.com is a great website to search for further study opportunities and much like TARGETjobs you can subscribe to their newsletter; you can even find help with starting a business through services like the CDS. Personally I aspire to have my own business in the science and technology industry, as a result my career research has been focused on the steps I can take to reach this goal.
For instance, I have been attending the business networking sessions arranged by the CDS called Start-Up Cafe’s, researching fields of interests and documenting my business ideas. One of the most important things I’ve learned so far is that when it comes to business is that it is crucial that you follow your passion (and your gut feeling) because when it gets tough you’re going to need something besides the pay check to keep you going.
To anyone reading this who, much like myself, is worried they’re running out of time to make a decision on their future career; just take a step back and realise that it’s a decision that merits a lot of thought so it’s not necessarily bad that you’re spending a lot of time deciding. Just be mindful of deadlines and keep working hard and smart!