What do you want to do with your life?

If that question scares you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s one of the biggest decisions that we have to make, not only in our academic lives but also for our personal ones, and that’s scary!

Coming into your final year of college can be daunting. As well as facing the hardest assignments you’ve faced yet, you’re finally coming to the end of what has brought structure to your life since before you could remember and unlike school, there is no right answer as to what you’re supposed to do now.

Follow us as we explore some of the different paths that people have taken to get to where they are now after graduating. We’ll be delving into the lives of former students that explored two very different options after graduation day.

Following our first individual, we follow former UL student, 25-year-old Jessie Langridge as she uses her degree in Applied Languages to fulfil her dreams of travelling after college.

Coming into her final year, Jessie spoke on how the ‘intensity’ of her last two college years influenced her decision greatly: ‘I didn’t want to go into a job that was any way stressful, I just needed a break’ said Jessie before moving on to her professional career.

Aware of what she wanted, Jessie began searching for what she could do during this ‘break’ during the stress of her final year and stumbled upon many language-based low-intensity positions online. After applying to many of them, she finally found a job working as a personal assistant as well as teaching English to Chinese children.

As both jobs allowed for remote work, this was the ideal way for Jessie to travel wherever she wanted: ‘All I needed was a laptop, a decent Internet connection and a quiet room,’ said Jessie.

‘My best friend from my course and I decided to go travelling, so we spent three months around Europe visiting friends in different cities like Paris and Munich, stayed with a host family in Switzerland for two weeks and spent a month surfing in Portugal. ‘

After her travel buddy decided it was time for a full-time job, Jessie returned home to friends and family with the intention of continuing with her two positions while she planned her next step.

Jessie said: ‘My life hasn’t been set since I’ve graduated but I’ve always been happy, try not to think too much into the future, anything can happen in those six months, or in those 3 months or even in three weeks, what matters is that you’re happy.’

As popular as having the option of travelling post-degree may seem ideal to some, it’s not always the case for everyone. Our second person of interest, Nicole Healy decided to live at home while working at her dream job in order to save money for her future.

Nicole, a 27-year-old former GMIT student used her degree in Business Management to land in her current position as a global recruiter for multi-national company Lionbridge. Going into her final year, Nicole states: ‘I knew I wanted to work in the business world but had no idea as to what department, until I finally landed on HR.’

Nicole decided that the best way to go down her post-degree path was to work to get into a job that she could proudly call her career while saving money by living at home.

To reach this goal, she researched and applied for many positions in the HR and management fields, of which was slightly disheartening at first, ‘Finding a job without any experience was a challenge…’Nicole said. However, it was only three weeks after her graduation that she finally found the position in Lionbridge, which worked to set her up with a steady income and an opportunity to save funds for her future.

When asked how she feels about the decisions she made that helped her get to where she is, Nicole said: ‘ These choices had a positive effect on my life, I love my job and where I am, I’ve been with the same company for four years and have had great experiences as well as made countless business connections already.’

No matter what you want to do after graduation, whether you have a ten-year plan or don’t know where you’ll be next week, there’s always a path to suit you and there are no right or wrong answers.

You may have reached an end to an era in your life, but as it closes another one is only just starting, and you get to choose what you do with it.

By Erin Carey

They don’t fit anymore. I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you but chances are that no, it wasn’t the tumble dryer that shrunk those jeans and yes, you can do something about it.

Everyone always talks about the impossible task of loosing weight once you get older and how the younger generation are so lucky to be able to shed the weight like a heavy fur coat.

While it is true that it does get increasingly difficult to lose a few extra pounds after a certain age, the idea that shedding them in your twenties or thirties is an easy feat just isn’t right!

Speaking from experience, people in their twenties are all too often young, broke and tend to have a skewed sense of prioritizing aspects in their lives-have a tenner to get you through the next week? Pints are only €3.60…

That’s why when talk of healthy meal plans and gym membership start flying around, most people brush it off, no one has the time or the money right? But what they don’t mention is that losing weight and becoming healthier doesn’t have to be an all or nothing deal.

When people start on their crash diets and start going to the gym every day for a month, they’re intense! You’re expected to change your entire lifestyle overnight with often very little transition, if any, and it won’t stick.

What happens to most people is that this all-or-nothing lifestyle becomes overwhelming and instead of having a middle-ground to fall back on, people revert to their original living habits.

What I’m going to try to do today is give a few small tips on I’ve picked up that can help make your everyday lifestyle lean a bit more to the healthier side of things. You’d be surprised how a few small changes can make such a difference in your overall health, energy and mind!

Changing a few small things bit by bit in your diet and in your exercise also gives you a way to build up good habits so that this new, hopefully happier and healthier you can become the you that you want to be.

Speaking of starting out small, you’ve heard this a thousand times in a thousand ways, but drink water! Exactly how much depends on your body mass and always listen to your body, but in general most aim for about two litres a day.

Your body needs water to function right, which means if you don’t drink enough in a day you’re going to feel run down and your other healthy habits won’t pay off! If you’re like me and find it hard to keep track of how much you’ve drank, invest in a reusable litre bottle, they’re perfect for making sure you drink enough and are great for the environment.

This next one may break some hearts, but the fizzy drinks must go. Not completely of course, I’m not a monster, having the odd can of coke won’t pack on ten stone, but they are packed full of sugar and drinking them daily it just plain horrible for you.

Try having an alternative like orange or fruit juice at home and don’t buy the drinks in the first place! You might think twice about how much you want that Fanta if you have to walk a half hour to get it. That also applies to any and all junk food, try buying sweet snacks like grapes, kiwis and granola. Whenever you start craving a Cadburys bar or an ice cream use them, or a bar of dark chocolate, to curb your sugar craving.

This also may seem like a weird tip, but make sure to eat before heading to the supermarket! A hungry shopper will crave anything and everything, which is dangerous when you get home with three different cheesecakes and not the kiwis you went in for…

As for exercise, no one expects you to become a bodybuilder.

You don’t need to invest in the Gym Shark leggings or start putting up posts with #gymlife in the captions, all you have to do is find what suits you!

Whether you’re a student or you’re working full time, there’s always opportunities for you to stay fit that won’t break the bank or make you get up at the crack of dawn.

Group classes are a good, social and often fun way of staying fit! If you look for them in your area there should be a variety of classes, each with their own difficulty, focus and style, there’s no harm in trying a few until you find the right fit. Getting a few of your friends to go with you can stop you from backing out of the classes and it’ll make working out that much more enjoyable.

If group classes are not for you, or if you don’t have the money, you can join a club, team or you can use the variety of online resources to make your own home workout.

There is an endless amount of free full workouts on YouTube that are built for you to follow along at home. The only downside to this is that at home, your couch is right beside you. If you fully commit to doing these videos instead of sitting down and letting it play through after doing a singular plank, they’ll be hugely beneficial, but it’s up to you!

Overall, your health and weight are in your own hands. It’s true that in certain cases weight can’t be controlled due to sickness or other health issues, and that’s fine too! But if you are the only one holding yourself back then just shake off whatever’s stopping you and go for it.

By Erin Carey

Being comfortable in your own skin. It’s a term that many people use but don’t always take literally.

For most, being comfortable in your skin means being at peace with your whole self, but for those with acne the term holds a little more weight.

As someone who has suffered from the annoying affliction for near a decade, I’m going to try my best to share with you my experiences and will include any and all tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years below.

Overall, the sad reality is that most people do suffer with bad skin at some point in their lives, some more severe than others but almost everyone can relate to the anguish of their skin deciding to take a nosedive the day before a big event.

The first thing most people must do is embrace that fixing your skin is a journey. Clearing up your acne is almost never a straightforward process and it most likely won’t be quick. No two people are the same and your skin is no different!

The biggest thing to get into is a consistent skin routine, picking a routine and sticking to it can majorly help in improving your skin, I’ll post mine below! On top of a daily routine, many girls are prescribed a contraception pill that often works to improve their acne overall.

If your skin can’t be cleared from daily maintenance, it’s likely that your blemishes may be a result of an internal imbalance. That’s why, if your skin persists, I highly recommend going and talking to your local GP. Your doctor will discuss the issues you have with your skin and come to a solution that suits you, whether that is prescribing specific oral or topical medication or referring you to a dermatologist.

If you’re really concerned about your skin, don’t be afraid to splash out on a dermatologist from the get-go! While some people prefer to try different supplements and work with their doctor with different medications first, going to a dermatologist may speed up the process.

The only con of going for a dermatologist right away is of course the price. It can be quite expensive, but whether you don’t want to ask your parents for help or are worried about spending that much money-trust me when I say it’s worth it!

A dermatologist will be able to recognise your specific skin needs more accurately than a normal GP would and they’ll work with you to find the best course of action to get you feeling good about your skin again.

When going through this whirlwind, it can be easy to get caught up in the technicalities that are involved like ‘when’s my next appointment?’ ‘If this treatment doesn’t work what next?’ What’s important is to remember that life doesn’t start when the acne leaves, it goes on even when you’re mid-treatment, so don’t forget to live it.

Overall, throughout this entire process, remember to smile and as cheesy as it may sound, don’t forget to give a little love to yourself. Whether it’s buying yourself a funky outfit or treating yourself to the odd bubble bath, you deserve the pampering for all your efforts, reward yourself.

It’s so easy to get tunnel vision and only focus on your imperfections, but you are not your skin, so while you’re trying to find what works for you, don’t forget to live your life and be confident in who you are, the one who notices your imperfections the most is you, so don’t hold yourself back!

General Advice

• Cleanse your face twice daily. I use MooGoo’s Natural Milk Wash cleanser on my face along with their ‘Udder Cream’ moisturizer.
  MooGoo is an all-natural brand that specialize in products for sensitive skin, they’re the only products that I have found don’t irritate my skin!
• Gently exfoliate your face at least once a week to get rid of dead skin cells.
• Make sure to remove your makeup well before cleansing your face at night, DON’T skip a night here or there, be consistent!
• Drink at least two liters of water a day to keep your skin hydrated.
• Stay away from junk food, especially fizzy drinks, crisps and any sugary sweets!

By Erin Carey