Ahmad Afiquddin Ahmad

Paper 3 Draft 2
Negin H. Goodrich
3/7/2015

Life after College

As a sophomore with two years left until graduation, I could not help
but worry about life after college; with the decline in economic growth, and
the rising numbers of unemployed graduates, the future looks bleak,
especially to those who are not ready for the hardships and challenges that
come after graduation. Unemployment is a threat to fresh college graduates;
completing college without a job in hand is a cause for much unease, and as
if that is not torturous enough, one also has to consider living an
independent life away from the comfort of loving parents and starting a
family of ones own. To help secure a bright and prosperous future, I sought
out the answers to questions concerning postgraduate studies, the influence
of position and pay while looking for a job, living an independent life, and
building a family.
To help find the answers to the questions above, I interviewed
Professor Donatella Danielli, Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University,
West Lafayette.
Some college graduates may have plans to continue with a masters or
a doctorates degree right after graduation, and are wondering whether they
should invest their time and money in pursuing them, while others think that
it is better for them to work first, and then plan for higher-level education.
Professor Daniellis opinion was, I think in todays competitive job market,
education is what can make a difference. So, these postgraduate degrees, I
believe, can offer more possibilities for better jobs, promotion opportunities,
better salary, and so forth. But, not everybody is willing to put in time and
money towards a postgraduate degree, and so if it is a struggle, financially,
and because some people do not like to study that much, I do not think that
it is a condition that you will absolutely need to meet. But, I think it helps.
She added, As to when is the right time, I think it very much depends on the
type of postgraduate studies that you want to pursue. I believe that for many
of the professional degrees, having work experience, or any kind of
experience, before going into postgraduate education might increase your
chances of getting into a better school and a better program. But for some
people, myself included, who are in disciplines that are more theoretical in

nature, it is better for them to continue with postgraduate studies. So, I

believe that an answer that fits all does not exist.
When looking for a job, some fresh college graduates believe that it is
better to apply for a job at a small company, as it is usually easier for them
to be hired and obtain the experience needed before applying for better jobs.
Others believe that it is more preferable to apply for a career at a bigger
company with bigger pay right from the get-go. Professor Danielli said, I
think that one should apply for both; try to keep as many avenues open as
you possibly can. And then once you have different offers, you will have to
compare them and see which one is more attractive to you. Usually, when
you are with a bigger company, with higher visibility, it will look better on
your CV than building experience with a smaller company that no on has
ever heard of. She continued, But, there is also a disclaimer here, because
my experience with the industry is limited. From what I have seen in my
experience with academia, it is better to aim for the best institution possible,
even if it might not be the perfect fit for what you are doing. Usually the
prestige of working for a bigger institution trumps any benefit gained from
working under a different employment. I believe that you should grab the
best opportunity that is presented to you, when one applies for a job, one
should consider everything and apply everywhere he or she is even remotely
interested in working with. Sometimes the choice is not up to you, so you do
not want to limit your options. When there are a number of offers on the
table, than you would have to consider other aspects of the job: salary,
location, and chances for a promotion.
When asked about whether a working college graduate should
continue living with his or her parents and work towards buying a house, or
rent a place of their own, the professor answered, I believe that some
independence at one point is good, but not everybody is the same. For me I
believe that it ties with the original point of living with their family and
buying a house of their own, as not everyone can afford to buy a house on
their own right away. But, I believe that one should rent out a house or
whatever, and should not keep living with ones family for too long. It is not
what I did; I lived with my family until I graduated from college, because I
went to college in the same city where I was born. It is very common in Italy,
where I was born, but it is uncommon here in the United States, so, it is also
a matter of culture. Regarding whether the location of the job should be
weighed in when making a decision, she replied, I guess so. It is not only a
matter of location, it is also a matter of societal expectations and financial
means. I believe that it is not feasible to use ones salary to rent out a house
when one only lives half a mile away from his or her workplace.

As an adult, a college graduate will usually mull over when he or she

should settle down, and build a family of ones own. Regarding this matter,
Professor Danielli believed, This is a very personal choice. First of all, I
believe that the most important factor is that there should be some financial
stability. Starting a family before being able to afford it puts a lot of strain on
the family and the relationship and so I believe that would be the dividing
line. When there are kids involved, the picture is much more complicated,
and they will take a lot of time and resources from everything else you do.
Some people may want to wait until they are more financially stable, while
others want to build a family first before achieving a satisfying level of
economic stability. And again, I believe that there is no one size fits all kind
of answer. I further explored this issue by asking her how one should
manage their budget to satisfy the needs of managing a family and a
household. The professor responded by saying, They say to not spend more
than a third of your salary for living expenses, and I believe that it is very
important to save some money, because you will never know when you are
going to have a rainy day. There are a lot of things that could happen that
you can never expect and that could lead to financial ruin if you are not
prepared for it. As soon as you have kids, you will also have to start planning
ahead for their education. If you do not plan ahead, you could hit that point
where you see all these bills coming and you are not really prepared for
them.
As a conclusion, I believe that as a college student, one should prepare
for life after graduation, and all the responsibilities and challenges that come
with being an adult. Living an independent life, and having to shoulder all the
burden of adulthood on your own will be tough and trying, but with careful
planning and preparations before making decisions will be a wise choice in
helping relieve some of the load.