{"id":1913,"date":"2015-06-03T13:30:51","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T13:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keblog.demoapp.xyz\/?p=1913"},"modified":"2022-10-19T03:46:25","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T03:46:25","slug":"paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating","title":{"rendered":"Paul Rivera: How to Decide on Your Next Step After Graduating"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s 2016 and you\u2019ve just graduated from a college in the Philippines. You\u2019re probably thinking,\u00a0<em>now what?<\/em>\u00a0If you\u2019re lucky and hopped on the intern train before finishing school, you might already be employed. But if you\u2019re like most, you\u2019ve had a few weeks to let the post-graduation feeling sink in\u2014vacations, beaches, hours on Instagram and just not doing anything for the first time in 4 (or more years). Guess what, you deserve it so enjoy this time off. It&#8217;s one of the things I regret after I graduated. I literally took one week off after graduating in 2004, started working and I haven\u2019t stopped since. But at some point (and it\u2019s probably right now) you\u2019re thinking,\u00a0<em>what do I do next?\u00a0What job is right for me? What company should I apply for? What happens if I don\u2019t get the job I want?<\/em>\u00a0While I can\u2019t directly tell you what companies\u00a0you should be applying for (hopefully\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kalibrr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kalibrr<\/a>\u00a0is one of them!), I\u2019m going to give you a few pieces of advice about how to think about what\u2019s next and hopefully it makes the career search process a little bit clearer.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_26 counter-hierarchy\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TOPICS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating\/#Corporate_or_Startup\" title=\"Corporate or Startup?\">Corporate or Startup?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating\/#Optimize_for_learning_not_salary\" title=\"Optimize for learning, not salary\">Optimize for learning, not salary<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating\/#Your_degree_does_not_determine_your_destiny\" title=\"Your degree does not determine your destiny\">Your degree does not determine your destiny<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating\/#Be_Patient\" title=\"Be Patient\">Be Patient<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating\/#Take_a_Risk\" title=\"Take a Risk\">Take a Risk<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Corporate_or_Startup\"><\/span>Corporate or Startup?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve done both and there are merits in each. Corporations offer security, predictability and a potentially solid brand name on your resume &#8211; what you give up is flexibility and the responsibility for real projects right away. Startups are the opposite. Most are unknown and unstructured. If you join a startup, who knows if it will be there a few years from now. The pay can be strikingly similar (or maybe even more) but I give the edge to startups, especially those that are beginning to grow fast. What you give up in security and stability, you make up for by being in the best environment to continue to learn. If you have any desire to start a company at some point in the future, there is no better way to learn than to join a startup that is trying to become a company.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Optimize_for_learning_not_salary\"><\/span><strong>Optimize for learning, not salary<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1923\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a big believer that you should make what you\u2019re worth but as a fresh graduate, the bottom line is you\u2019re not going to make that much. Knowing that, get the best salary you can, but if the other option is working for a company or startup that continues to develop and hone your skills, especially in areas like product, engineering, customer support, sales and marketing\u2014all areas critical to creating a technology startup\u2014that&#8217;s where my vote is. Always choose the company where you\u2019ll learn the most rather than where you\u2019ll earn the most. Ask your potential employers what skills and tools you\u2019ll develop on the job. You have to understand that just because you\u2019ve graduated from school doesn&#8217;t mean the learning stops\u2014it never does. Even as CEO of Kalibrr, I am learning something new everyday.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_degree_does_not_determine_your_destiny\"><\/span><strong>Your degree does not determine your destiny<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1919\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-3.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-3-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a Political Economy graduate running a technology startup in the Philippines. I chose Political Economy because I have a personal interest in why countries develop and others under develop. But my passion was always in technology. I wasn\u2019t smart enough to be a full-time coder so I became an entrepreneur instead. The degree for me was just that\u2014a piece of paper that said I was competent in a subject matter area but being someone who continued to learn, I applied myself to technology and entrepreneurship. So for all you human resources (HR) graduates, just because you majored in HR doesn\u2019t mean you should only be looking for HR jobs. Apply to companies outside of your degree area. Explore jobs where you can learn something new that interests you and always remember to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=N3PNElMiVWA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">go where you\u2019re not supposed to be<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Be_Patient\"><\/span><strong>Be Patient<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Success is not going to come overnight. It probably won\u2019t come for a few years. You\u2019re going to want a promotion sooner than you deserve . You\u2019re going to want to manage people and not do the entry level work anymore. You now live in a world where everything is available at your fingertips except success. Your social media feed is filled with people living the life you want right now and it makes you want success even more. The reality is, success takes years, a ton of hard work, and some luck. It&#8217;s literally the only thing in this hyperconnected world that you can\u2019t have in an instant. You\u2019ve just got to be patient.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Take_a_Risk\"><\/span><strong>Take a Risk<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1917\" src=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-4-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/paul-rivera-how-to-decide-on-your-next-step-after-graduating-4-768x373.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This brings me back to our first point\u2014corporations or startups. Startups are inherently risky but I believe you should <em>take those risks early and often in your career<\/em>. It&#8217;s much more difficult to take these risks when you have a family and financial responsibilities. Do it when you\u2019re still living at home with minimal responsibilities. Look to areas where other people aren\u2019t and identify things that might become a future trend. The biggest risk is the one you don\u2019t take. Remember, you\u2019re young\u2014when you fall, your family can still catch you. If startups just aren\u2019t your thing, you\u2019ll have an entire corporate world who you\u2019ll impress with what you\u2019ve learned. Take a risk while you\u2019ve still got a big wide safety net in your life. I have a few more pieces of advice, but I think 5 is good enough to get you thinking about what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n<h3><em><a href=\"http:\/\/kalibrr.com\/?utm_source=career-advice&amp;utm_medium=footer-cta&amp;utm_content=sign-up-text&amp;utm_campaign=social-content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sign up on Kalibrr<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0today and find the right job for you. You can also\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/confirmsubscription.com\/h\/i\/77238488FF110D6D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">subscribe<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to our weekly newsletter and get Kalibrr Career Advice straight from your inbox!<\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s 2016 and you\u2019ve just graduated from a college in the Philippines. You\u2019re probably thinking,\u00a0now what?\u00a0If you\u2019re lucky and hopped on the intern train before finishing school, you might already be employed. But if you\u2019re like most, you\u2019ve had a few weeks to let the post-graduation feeling sink in\u2014vacations, beaches, hours on Instagram and just [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2771,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neo-blog.kalibrr.com\/blog\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}