We’re at the time of year of graduation! At the start, it is exciting and fulfilling. It’s definitely an accomplishment to be proud of and celebrate for as long as you want! However, at some point, that high comes down and you face the reality of being an SLP post-grad, if you graduated with your master’s. No longer being a student, an identity you’ve had since you were between 3-5. It’s hard to let that go and transition.
Today, I’m not going to dwell on that too much. Instead, I’m going to give you free resources that, as an SLP post-grad, can help you use your time intentionally. If you’re an undergrad, check out my post I wrote when I graduated with my Bachelor’s!
Make A Pinterest Board
This may sound silly, but I genuinely think this can bring you some inspiration or motivation to transition to your employed or almost-employed life. I started making an apartment board and getting excited about renting my own place that might have a lease longer than a year! if you’re crafty, you can even make a vision board, and who better to teach you how than Oprah.
Invest In Yourself
This will look different for everyone, but invest in yourself. Being an SLP is super exciting, but it’s one part of us. We had other parts of our identity before studying SLP, and we should after too. Here are some ways you can invest in yourself:
- Pick up or restart a hobby. I invested in new roller skates over quarantine, which is something I loved doing as a kid. Pick something meaningful to you and something that gets you excited! If you want to socialize safely while doing it, check out meetup.com.
- Make a pre-job bucket list. List everything you want to do before you start your job and have less free time! Even list who you’d like to do it with.
- SLEEP!!! If you take anything from this post, please just get some sleep. I am still working on doing that myself. Sleep is likely something you haven’t gotten a lot of recently. Even if you just lay down and do nothing. Just do it.
- Therapy. If it’s feasible for you right now, start or continue therapy! Anyone can and will benefit from therapy, even if you feel you don’t have a pressing problem right now. My therapist has helped me so much lately. Here’s links to affordable therapy options that are open to diverse identities.
5 Affordable Therapy Options (healthline.com)
Affordable Counseling | Affordable Therapy | Open Path Collective
Invest in Education
Maybe you really miss learning. One of the best gifts my mom gave me was a year long MasterClass subscription. They have a 7-day free trial and are $15 a month. It gives me the ability to learn but also learn about fun things like writing and cooking. Here are some free places you can invest in education that is non-SLP related.
Coursera | Online Courses & Credentials From Top Educators. Join for Free:
Coursera partners with more than 200 leading universities and companies to bring flexible, affordable, job-relevant online learning to individuals and organizations worldwide. We offer a range of learning opportunities—from hands-on projects and courses to job-ready certificates and degree programs.
Udemy Free Resource Center: Find Free Online Courses | Udemy: I used this site to learn about web design and podcasting, and loved it! The design of short video lessons makes the time management attainable. It helps for those who can’t focus on a computer for a long time.
We understand things feel uncertain right now, and we’re all looking for ways we can help. At Udemy, our mission is to improve lives through learning. Sometimes that means new skills for a new career, and sometimes it’s as simple as realizing a lifelong passion. To support you through this time, we’ve put together this collection from the free courses in our learning marketplace.
edX | Free Online Courses by Harvard, MIT, & more | edX:
Those are just a few ways that you can use your time as a SLP post-grad intentionally. What are some other ways you’re using your post grad time?
Come back tomorrow to learn more about cultural sensitivity as an SLP. For more cultural sensitivity tips, make sure to subscribe to my SLP Survival Newsletter!
