Kids

Your Kids Just Graduated! Now What?

by Kevyn Gohu
October 26, 2021

Congratulations, your kids just graduated! The question is, what can they do now?

Before the pandemic hit, kids who have graduated would be going out of the house to work in an office. But that changed with the whole work-from-home scheme. Your kids are probably telling you, “This isn’t how I planned to build my career!” or “Ugh, I want to do coffee runs!” So, how can we help them adjust to their careers when it doesn’t meet their expectations?

1. Help them create a workspace

As fresh graduates, your kids would probably want to try simulating an actual work environment. They’ll want a desk, some figurines, and some organizers to change up their study desk. They’ll also want a desk that reflects their work. So if they’re working in game media, they might want some figurines. If your kids are teachers, they’ll love a whiteboard. These little things can help your kids start out when they’ve just graduated. It will help them cope with the pandemic, too.

2. Help them manage their work time

The biggest frustration of our older kids is when they’re called to do something in a meeting. While we sometimes think they’re not busy, it wouldn’t hurt to take a small peek into their room to check if they’re having a meeting. Like us working parents, we’re probably frustrated when our kids interrupt us during our meetings. Same with them. Especially if it’s their first job and their first few months, they’ll want to give it their all.

3. Hold back our job prejudices

All of us want our kids to get good jobs. Unfortunately, our kids graduated during a time when many companies are not ready to take in new hires to save on cash. The majority of the time, companies keep the rank-and-file jobs open because these are the jobs that many people get burned out from. While many of us want our kids to jump to managerial work right away, it’s not possible at their current state. Offering advice on how they can do their work well helps especially if we have a lot of experience there.

4. Let them take a break

Our kids are probably exhausted from all the online classes they’ve been taking that they’re probably suffering from Zoom Fatigue. While we’re used to just jumping into work the moment we graduate, our kids are definitely going to need a break. Let them take a short break of #funemployment so they’ll have time to recover their mental wellness before they stick their nose to the grindstone.

5. Help them build up their government IDs

Although some government IDs aren’t a big requirement, there are some like TIN, SSS, barangay clearances, and all that are needed if they want to apply for a job. Some of our kids may not be able to drive yet so, we might have to take them around a bit. It would help if we knew some people in our local government units so they can help streamline your kids’ process of getting it. Unfortunately, these are the things that they didn’t learn in college so we could help make it easier by learning it with them. Who knows? Maybe when we put up a business, we’ll have to do these, too.

Your kids may have graduated but our parenting doesn’t have to stop there!

Although we’ll have to loosen our grip a bit, that doesn’t mean our kids won’t appreciate our help especially in getting some government documents done. And with the new normal, a lot of things are changing. While we want our kids to be more resilient, we also want them to know that they don’t have to do everything alone. For your kids who just graduated, they’re probably struggling in figuring how to #adult during the pandemic. While some of us may not be familiar with the latest technology, it doesn’t mean we can’t let them draw wisdom from the old-fashioned ways.