The academic year is coming to an end here at Edinburgh with students busy handing in final assignments for their courses, studying for exams, and then the final exam period.  For those of you studying online, who may be juggling study with other commitments, it may also be a time when the pressure on your time begins to ease for a while and you think of taking a vacation.

You often read that people spend more time planning for a vacation than they do planning a career.  Think of the amount of time you spend checking out flights or making other travel plans, finding the right hotel or accommodation, reading about all the places you’d like to visit when you get there…wherever that may be.  And that’s just for a two week vacation!  Compare that to the amount of time you spend thinking about your career development considering you may spend 35 hours a week at work (or more) possibly over the course of 40 years!

So if you’re taking a break from academic commitments in the next few months maybe this is a good time to reflect on your studies and consider how they could influence the direction you take in your future career.  To help you, check out our Supporting taught postgraduate students resource.  There is information to help you to reflect on your studies, consider what you want to achieve, encourage you to set goals, and to think about the next step once you complete your postgraduate degree.  Most of us don’t hesitate to make the time to plan a good vacation.  Take a similar approach to ensure you make satisfying career choices.

Supporting taught postgraduate students