Graduation is a time for celebration, a deep sense of euphoria rings true with every student waving goodbye to their dissertation, the library and deadlines! But hold on, what is around the corner? A career you say? Oh crap. Leaving your lecturer’s secure grasp and stepping into the unknown is scary stuff. Learn what graduates are thinking in 2018 and it may leave you feeling surprised.

Not all graduates have found their dream job

If you are worried that out of your university buddies, you will not have secured your career then fear not. Despite 41.3% of graduates have already found a job, over half are either still searching for one, or taking the notorious gap year to take time and decide where their path will take them (34.4% and 24.3% respectfully). Meaning it is OK to not dive straight into the job market bull pit.

The reason why?

So the situation with 2018 graduates is that quite a few have already secured a job - hooray! However, what is the general consensus of graduates who have not secured employment after university? Well it is a fairly relaxed stance - 40.99% believe their fate has yet to be decided and say there are no reasons pointing towards not getting a job. 21.8% express they have insufficient connections, which makes us realise how important those networking sessions are at university...Although, a relatively high 21.8% straight up say they have not injected enough effort into their job hunt - props for being honest.

What graduates are looking for in their job?

Job satisfaction, or job security? Arguably, the two are never joined together. In today’s unpredictable climate where Brexit is encouraging fear among companies, to unemployment rates rising and falling like a helta skelta roller-coaster, it is no wonder why today’s graduates (58.1%) would choose job security over job perks. Alongside job security, a staggering 44.6% graduates also want decent pay, and you may read this thinking, well duh - that is obvious. However, when you compare it against only the 10.9% who would rather have a good training programme, and 5.8% who would prefer a strong ethical culture. It makes you wonder, is money truly the key to happiness?

What are graduates earning in 2018?

Having literally invested blood, sweat and tears into university education, it is more of a pain that graduates leave with tuition fees of up to £40,000! Naturally, many graduates want to earn big bucks to quickly pay off the looming costs and live life debt free! 33.41% of graduates were making a salary of $35k or lower (£26K), 26% were earning between $36K - $50k (£27K - £38K). The biggest earners were undoubtedly the smallest percentage, with only 8.47% earning over $100k (£76K).

Want to know the highest earning graduate positions? Below is a list that will guarantee 5* holidays and weekly trips to Waitrose.

• Goldman Sachs / Investment Banking / £52K

• Latham Watkins / Law / £45K

• Rothschilds / Private Finance / £65K

• Aldi / Retail / £41K

• European Commission / Politics and Government £41.5K

What are graduates most scared of?

I am not even a graduate yet, and the thought of leaving university scares the living daylights out of me. Understandably, I do not share these worried thoughts alone. 39% of graduates in 2018 showed little confidence towards paying taxes and expenses, as opposed to 31.2% who were living the fear that they will never find a job, yikes. However, to mitigate these risks please ensure you are in contact with your Careers Tutor, they will offer helpful advice to ensure worries like this never materialise.

Graduates in 2018 have a lot to look forward to - new beginnings, new careers, and most likely a new liver. The above figures reflect some of the worries that many go through, which is perfectly fine. For the most, graduates of 2018 seem to be satisfied with having a well paid job - and are feeling fairly optimistic towards their job search.

The above is a snapshot of what graduates of 2018 are thinking right now - to find out more information go to https://lendedu.com/blog/caree...which includes a fantastic analysis on the current graduate situation, with interesting figures and cool info graphics.