WORRIED ABOUT LIFE AFTER UNIVERSITY

Dear Coleen

IN SEPTEMBER, I’ll be starting my final year at university and I’ve started to worry a lot about what I’ll do afterwards. I have no career plan and I’m studying something academic.

I’ve never even had a job at university, so I’m a bit scared about going into the working world.

A couple of friends have called me “spoiled” because I’ve never worked and my parents pay for everything. They’re just joking when they say it, but it’s making me worried about whether I’ll cope in the real world.

Coleen says

LOTS of young people your age don’t have a clue what they want to do with their lives, so relax about that. Also, I think this time in lockdown has given us all too much opportunity to overthink everything.

You might find that as life starts getting back to normal, you’re not so bogged down in these worries and you’ll have plenty of other distractions.

Yes, making your way in the world is a bit of a scary prospect, but it’s exciting, too. So maybe it’s about changing your mindset a bit and thinking instead about all the potential opportunities out there.

You might have a few different jobs before you hit on something you feel really passionate about. But I always think it’s better to work at something until you find out what that passion is – plus employers respect that kind of attitude and work ethic.

Everyone has to start somewhere.

A survey from leading relationship charity Relate reveals lockdown has led to a host of “relationship realisations” for us.

The poll found 48 per cent of respondents with parents felt emotionally closer to them since lockdown.

And 41 per cent of men who took the survey said the pandemic has meant they’ve become more comfortable having open and honest conversations with loved ones about difficult topics.