One of the best parts of the QUAA president’s role is the opportunity to connect with students and new graduates who are navigating the transition from student to alumni. As spring turned to summer, I had several conversations with people at this inflection point: those looking for that first post-grad job, contemplating law school, or considering a return to Queen’s for a fifth year for a little more time to incubate.
To be honest, looking back, this was not a time in my own life that I enjoyed very much. There were many uncertainties and a general feeling of being “behind” my peers because I didn’t have a clear career path. Sure, I had an internship lined up and vague plans to apply to grad school, but it would be a few years before I managed to meander my way to law school.
I often find myself sharing these experiences with students and new grads, to reassure them that they are not unusual, and that there are many of us who did not have everything figured out by convocation!
Where things have changed since I graduated 17 years ago though, is how rapidly many sectors are shifting as they adopt artificial intelligence. Students graduating today face unique challenges in the entry-level job market. Alumni may not have the solutions, and we may admittedly lack insight into the precise anxieties or issues facing students and new graduates of the day. However, we often do have something to offer them, whether that be making a connection to someone in our network for a coffee chat, acting as a sounding board as they talk through various potential next steps, or sharing opportunities that might be a good fit for them when they come across our figurative desks.
I always encourage the students and new graduates I encounter to remember that the Queen’s alumni network is there for them to tap into as they navigate periods of transition. In addition to helping with career transitions, alumni branches in places such as New York and London, England, also have reputations for serving as soft landing places for alumni moving cities.
I spoke recently with a new graduate who shared that they have friends who feel embarrassed by or ashamed of their perceived lack of success, so they are reluctant to come out to alumni events. This is disheartening, because they are missing out on one of the greatest, unique benefits of a Queen’s degree – access to one of the most enviable alumni networks in the country. So, to our newest grads, please accept this invitation to make use of the alumni network, to reach out, especially if your transition is not going as well as you had hoped.
To all of our new graduates, congratulations – and we hope you stay in touch!
