Are recent grads at risk for early job burnout?

According to career consultant Alexandra Levit, YES! Levit and other experts and business leaders foresee recent grads taking on too much responsibility when they break into the corporate world. Levit urges recent grads to resist sacrificing personal time in exchange for a faster climb to the top.

"You have to go out of your way to protect your time, but you have to go about it more subtly," she says. "If you sacrifice too much of your personal life at the start, you risk having a stressful, unbalanced life that's permanent."

Several factors are putting recent grads at risk for job burnout. One of these is their drive to succeed. Millennials as a whole are extremely eager to move up the ranks. Another factor is a wave of new openings for high-responsibility jobs. As baby boomers retire, millennials will take on a lot more responsibilities.

What do you think? Can recent grads find a work-life balance?

Confessions of a grad student 3: Worth the price

(Part 3 in a series)

By Catlin Green

My acceptance to graduate school meant another year and a half of freedom. And it has been…sort of. I knew grad school would be different from college, but I didn’t know just how much of an adult I would be required to become.

One of the first things that came in the mail after my acceptance letter was my financial aid package. That was the moment I realized how much my year and a half of freedom was going to cost me. And that was just for tuition and student fees!

I knew Emerson didn’t provide graduate housing, as most schools don’t provide housing for graduate students, but I didn’t realize the headache that would follow trying to find a place to live. Boston is not cheap, and with six out of every 10 people being students, you can imagine how competitive the housing market is.

If you’re looking to find an apartment, roommates, or both, go onto your school’s websites. Especially if it’s located in a city, there will be a portion of the website devoted to roommate and vacant apartment listings.

My apartment was listed on the Emerson website and finding roommates wasn’t bad. Two of my best friends from college were moving to Boston, and we pulled in a fourth to help with the rent. But rent wasn’t the only monthly bill. Along with the apartment came utilities, groceries, cable, not to mention actually having to clean the apartment once a week.

As I sat trying to figure out just how much this endeavor was going to cost, I didn’t even realize what “living” in Boston would mean. With all the great restaurants, bars, and museums, Boston is a playground for young adults. But everything’s more expensive or costs something in the city, and I mean EVERYTHING! Without a car, I had to pay for an unlimited monthly subway pass. And how was I supposed to support this glamorous lifestyle I wanted? Loans? A full-time job? I didn’t want to be paying the government back until the day I died, but I also didn’t want to compromise my education by working 40+ hours a week. So I got an internship, and I got an internship that paid. Not only would it look good on my resume, but I had the flexibility to set my hours and get experience in a field I was interested in.

Going to graduate school in Boston isn’t so easy at times. School is school, simple as that. It’s just as demanding as undergrad was, but you’re surrounded by a diverse group of people which makes it challenging and worthwhile. The unexpected expenses, not having a car, and noise are just some of the frustrations that you learn to live with.

Sure, I could be going to school in-state for about half the price and living at home to save some cash, but I wouldn’t be getting the life experience that living in Boston is providing me. While it’s the kind of freedom I never expected to have a year ago, it’s the kind of freedom that has forced me to grow and learn in ways I never thought possible.

Confessions of a grad student 2: The grad school gamble

(Part 2 of a series)


By Caitlin Green

A master’s degree was always a goal for me, but I was unsure of when and where I would do it. Some people advocated for going right after college while others told me to work for a bit, get a better idea of what I wanted out of a career. But I wasn’t sure I was ready for the real world so I began the graduate school search in the fall.

I spent the fall semester attending graduate information sessions at various schools and diligently preparing my applications. All the schools required recommendation letters, GRE scores, and at least one essay.

I signed up and took the GREs, tracked down professors to get letters, and spent hours editing and re-writing my essays. If you’re even THINKING you might want to attend grad school, get the ball rolling early. You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute to complete everything.

On top of all of this, many schools don’t send out acceptance/rejection letters until late April. This is getting very close to graduation, and many students feel they need a back-up plan in case they don’t get in. I chose to superficially engage in the job search, but basically put all my eggs into one basket. I don’t usually endorse having no back-up plan, but I already had a summer internship lined up at home which, if rejected from all schools, would give me some time to find a real job.

Fortunately, I was accepted to Emerson College in Boston. Graduate school isn’t for everyone, and if you feel you need to take a break from school then do so. This is was the best decision for me, but it’s the type of investment you shouldn’t make unless your heart’s really in it.

Next: Freedom isn’t cheap

Photo by Next Step