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Oliver Charles

University degree done, what next?

Latest Post: April 14, 2010 at 7:49 AM

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I'm a 20 year old university student from the UK and I'm coming to the end of my 3 year course. As such, it's starting to get to the time where I need to consider what to pursue next. It's a degree in computer science, and I'm looking to get a first class honours degree (BSc). I also have 3 years job experience (working from home) to compliment the degree, so I think I will be left in a fairly strong position.
My first option is to get my head down and work - I find a job somewhere in the UK and get my head down - straight to work. I like this option as I should be able a job fairly easily with my background, I believe, and it will be nice to be in an actual workplace with some other programmers around. However, the only problem I have with this is that it feels a bit too soon? I'll be 21 at this point, and it still feels I have a few more years to try some more risky ideas...

So, this brings us onto the next idea. I have a very close friend who I've known for 3 years in New York and I'd love at some point to turn that into a real relationship. I don't know how to make the transition from the UK to America though. I think I have 2 options here - I take another course in America, or I try and find a job there. I have no idea if either of those are feasible in my position - so if someone could advise me that would be superb. The only potential set back here is that my friend is my main motivation, and she has just started a new relationship with someone else - I'm not sure how well I'd handle being in an alien country, and have to be around the person I love knowing she's with someone else.

I will be visiting her in the summer for 10 days, which I'm hoping to use as both a way to get to know her, but also to try and get to know more of America - as I've never been before. However, 10 days feels too short, and commiting to moving their feels like too large a plunge... How can I spend a substantial amount of time in America (6 months to a year, min) without making a larger commitment?

Finally, the only other option I can think of, is to take some time out and do some travelling. I don't know much about this option either, but the only plan at the moment is couchsurfing - maybe a fortnight somewhere to a month somewhere, come home to make a bit more cash, then do it again?

As you can see, I have a few vague ideas but they all need developing - hopefully you can help!

This post is referenced by the following other contributors:

Mike Strong

in "Dealing with missed oportunities"

(The Living Room)

Reply to:

Amy Silberman, Hi, I'm a graduate student in Geology. I enjoy...

April 10, 2010 at 10:02 AM

14 followers

A quick thought Oliver, did you think of doing a study abroad program?

Are your degrees there 3 or 4 years? If you have a year left, then you can inquire on possibilities for spending a semester studying in NY. That sounds like exactly what you're looking for.

Reply to: or

Oliver Charles

In response to Amy Silberman

April 10, 2010 at 10:16 AM

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No, sadly the course I'm doing has no year abroad options, which is shame!

Reply to: or

Solveig Wright, Where to begin?

April 10, 2010 at 5:08 PM

33 followers

Oliver, it sounds as if you'd very much enjoy traveling before locking yourself into a long-term work position, and this sounds like a wonderful idea. It is much more difficult to take time off in the middle of a job -- if you are given responsibility it's hard to walk away from, and there are always more and bigger projects at work if it's an interesting job, which presumably you would want. So now is an excellent time to go if resources permit. Also, it's not so much of a "break" as one might imagine. Traveling will make you a more mature and thoughtful person, and this can help you be much more effective in your work going forwards.

Everyone has an obligation to himself/herself to be a great person; and I mean this really in a kind of solemn way, we should all feel obligated to push ourselves to understand the world to the best of our abilities, to travel, to think and read and experience widely (not un-selectively, though), to question the basic assumptions of our time, to figure things out for ourselves in consultation with others we love, admire and trust.

So it is eminently reasonable to take time to invest in yourself.

Now for the question of what. Courses are the easiest from a certain point of view as they are clearly defined, they have clear procedures for admission and for getting visas, and often will arrange housing. The downside is that most serious programs require a lot in the application package -- the US is on a different calendar than the UK and has different standardized exams which are required. For instance, see

http://cs.nyu.edu/web/Academic/Graduate/Admissions/faqadmitms.html

for a masters' in computer science. I'll think some more about this, maybe others have ideas.