With September being a month of new beginnings — often more so than January for some people – just ending, __ I think it is the perfect time to share a recent experience I had for the first time in my professional career: giving a speech at a master’s graduation ceremony!
When I was offered the opportunity to give the graduation speech at the ceremony for the same master’s program I completed almost five years ago, I immediately accepted. But then panic set in — what was I supposed to say? Did I have any good advice to offer the new graduates?
I procrastinated nearly until the last week but eventually realized that after five years of working in both industry and academia, I did have four key things I had learned along the way and would have appreciated knowing right after graduation.
It was a good experience after all, and now I would like to share my four takeaways with you!
1. Graduation is the Perfect Time to Explore
I remember graduating with the feeling that I needed to have everything figured out, like where I should work or which professional path to take. But over time, I realized that the period after graduation is actually the best time to explore and try new things.
In the past five years, I have had the opportunity to experience different roles. I started in a private company, then switched to a research assistant position at a University. I also had the chance to work at one of my dream places, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. This experience was twofold: I fulfilled a childhood dream by working there for almost four years, and I also got to experience the challenge of leaving my hometown to start a new life abroad.
I think every tech person goes through a phase where they believe they can start their own business with a friend. I went through this too! For the past two years, I have been collaborating with one of my best friends to create online content in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
So no, I did not have everything figured out after graduation, but what a journey it has been!
2. Learning Does Not End at Graduation
After Graduation, I also had the impression that I had studied a lot and passed many exams, but when it came to real-world experience, I felt like I didn’t know anything. However, I quickly realized that employers are already aware of this. When hiring new graduates, they are looking for energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn. If you bring those qualities, they will train you in whatever their core tasks are.
Another valuable learning opportunity I recently discovered is Summer Schools. These programs offer a chance to step away from your main responsibilities and emails and spend a week learning about various topics from renowned experts in the field.
They are usually held in amazing locations, and you stay there for the duration of the program. Some are sponsored and free, while others may require a fee. I highly recommend the ACM Summer School and the CERN School of Computing.
3. Don’t Hesitate: People Are Always Willing to Help
I am the type of person who tends to overthink before asking for help.
I often worry that I might be bothering people, especially when asking for something like a letter of recommendation. However, I’ve never actually received a negative response.
Over time, I have realized that people won’t waste their time if they don’t want to, but they are usually more than willing to help or provide advice if the request is reasonable. I’ve found that professionals in Computer Science, Data Science, and Artificial Intelligence are particularly responsive.
From personal experience, this summer I began supervising students. During the internship, it was always a pleasure to offer my opinions or explain my past decisions when they asked for advice. After the internship, when the time came for recommendation letters, it was equally rewarding to help good students take the next steps in their careers, although it required a time investment.
4. Pursue your Passions
The outside world after graduation is tough, but one should never give up on pursuing their passion. I remember being a 15-year-old, reading Breakfast with Particles and dreaming of becoming a physicist at CERN.
Well, things didn’t turn out exactly as I had imagined. I grew tired of Physics and ended up working as a Computer Scientist, though still at CERN. I have come to realize that we also learn to scale our dreams. As a teenager, I dreamed of discovering a new particle. Now, contributing to a small component in a large system feels like a significant professional achievement.
The moral? I’ve changed, and so have my interests, but I never gave up on pursuing my passions. That’s something I deeply value about my career path and would strongly recommend to any new graduate.
Final Thoughts
In the end, standing in front of the new graduates, I realized that I had quite a few things to share from this five-year journey. It may not have been useful to everyone sitting there, but I hope it resonated with some of them.
If you’ve recently graduated, or are about to, keep this in mind: Graduation is not the finish line, but the beginning of an unpredictable, exciting journey. You don’t need to have everything figured out right away, and that’s okay. Keep trying new things, keep learning, and don’t hesitate to ask for help along the way. Most importantly, always pursue what excites you. If you do that, like me, you may find that even if the path looks different from what you imagined, it can still lead you to something truly fulfilling.
🧐 And you? What are your main takeaways after graduation?
Many thanks for reading!
This is the first personal article I am sharing.
I normally write content about Artificial Intelligence, especially Large Language Models. Feel free to take a look at my content and subscribe to my Newsletter if you like it!
