by By: Asya Artikaslan
It’s graduation season! As a 2021 graduate, I am so excited for the next chapter of my life, yet this year has no doubt been a challenge. Graduating from my childhood bedroom is definitely not how I imagined this moment to happen, but the excitement levels are still quite high – even if I will have to save the gown for another year. I know some of my friends got theirs already from https://www.jostens.com/graduation/college/caps-and-gowns for the day regardless though. Regardless, while figuring out the next steps after college has never been a stress-free process, this year (and last) seems particularly daunting. However, through my year and a half relationship with online learning and I can confidently say that the skills I have acquired through this transition will define my career. The University of Oregon and the SOJC have been incredibly accommodating while going through these “unprecedented times.” Students have learned how to communicate and adapt with their peers like never before, creating a shift in the workplace environment.
Even though we have come a long way from Zoom Bombs and Glitter by Benee trending on Tik Tok we are still navigating the future of our individual online presence. #WorkFromHome has become the new normal. Quarantine has created a new realm of creativity, with starting your own business to unconventional jobs becoming more common. While some companies are starting to head back into the office, the option to work remotely isn’t going away anytime soon. The pandemic has also triggered a kind of renewed focus on healthcare and well-being, and made everyone more aware of their own health. Companies are starting to reconsider the healthcare benefits afforded to their employees and delving deeper into their healthcare costs (more on which you can find at https://www.edenhealth.com/blog/healthcare-costs-for-employers/). Not only that, ‘work’ has come to mean different things for different people, as they start to introspect on what kind of a future they want to build. This can be incredibly exciting, and (hopefully) create new ideas about what your future career path can look like.
According to PricewaterhouseCo, “Remote work has been an overwhelming success for both employees and employers. The shift in positive attitudes toward remote work is evident: 83% of employers now say the shift to remote work has been successful for their company, compared to 73% in our June 2020 survey.”
Social media opens up an entirely new world of lesser-known jobs that you can work remotely. The TikTok hashtag #VanLife is all about creators sharing their work experience while on the road. Careers like data entry, social media marketing, and sales are just a few of many fields that you can go into while traveling. Especially with a degree from the SOJC, there are so many fields open to us. The possibilities are endless, and it provides a sense of comfort to know that there are so many different kinds of jobs out there.
Happy Graduation and cheers to a bright future!
Asya,
I think this was such a great, relatable post that truly speaks to the nature of what graduating college in 2021 is like. Our graduation looks different than ever before, but so do our job opportunities, which presents us the amazing opportunity to find jobs online in a way that hasn’t been possible for many generations before us. Congrats on graduating!!
Thank you for this! One of the scariest things we have to navigate is the work environment during and post-pandemic. We have completely different opportunities and situations that graduates had even two years ago. Truly a one of a kind experience for us all.
Thank you for this read. I’m graduating this year too and it’s a pretty scary thought thinking about the working world, especially after having my last year and a half be all online.
Asya, did not know you were graduating this year! You will be missed. You caught me with the title. I loved the read. Especially the stats about remote work. My company worked from home for a few months during the pandemic and returned back to the office fairly early because of the way an agency works, in person communication is almost a necessity. Good luck in your future!
Hi Asya!
I enjoyed reading your blog post and I agree that the work-from-home environment won’t be going anywhere any time soon. While the majority of other parts of society that was impacted by covid may be going back to normal, I think that work from home will be here to stay as I have read for certain types of computer and desk jobs, it is just easier and cheaper to have their employees work from home. I have one more year until I graduate next spring so I will be intrigued about what my job field will look like in a year from now.
Hi Anya!
I love this me! Being a graduate myself, I know how hard the change has been. I do agree though that they’ve seen a major change in the way business run. One thing that I thought of was remote meetings. I think this is going to be huge. Imagine how less expensive it is to “zoom” a rep or rather than flying them out. I think major change is going to come.
Hey Asya,
I really appreciated this post. I have been having a hard time finding the positives of this year’s grads’ unique experience. But I totally agree that we have gained transferable skills throughout these “unprecedented times.”
Congrats on graduating! What a crazy time this last year and a half have been… The ways in which we work, communicate and learn have shifted in a dramatic way. It’s hard to even think of what normal life was once like. It will be interesting to see the new ways in which the work world will change and adapt in the next few years. Although it may not be ideal, I do think that these online terms have prepared you for the future and the new ways in which we will communicate with others. Being able to manage time, stress, work, and much more is something that we have all worked hard to accomplish. GOOD LUCK! Just know that you have already proven to have the skills necessary to be successful in this digital age.
Thank you for this! As a graduating senior myself, it is definitely scary to think about the future and the world we live in. Having said this, I am grateful to be graduating this year opposed to last year.
Hi Asya! I think this is a great and relatable post. Seeing the seniors leave this and last year has been heartbreaking. The seniors from this and last year have lost the opportunities and memories that they deserve. It was interesting to read your post as I’ve seen personally the struggles of finding jobs after college during COVID-19 with my brother.
Hi Asya, I can completely relate to this post as a graduating senior. I think the future of the working world should be interesting. I think that a lot of it will remain at large part virtual, especially in terms of saving expenses such as offices.
Congratulations on graduating, it was a stressful time I’m sure but you made it! I have also been put in a position where I ended a term and had to transition from a virtual classroom to a remote workplace, and it became to the point where I was ready to time out of virtual stuff. I spent over a year in the house attending virtual this and that, to the point where I thought we lived in a virtual world half the time. Virtual work is a dual and hard task depending on how and where you company location is can impact you hard. I wish you good luck on your endeavors.