When I (Rebecca) began my MSc research into the transition out of education as part of my psychology degree, the first step was to sift through the existing literature. What I found was, the transitional literature exploring transitions up until the point of entering university existed in abundance. However, there was quite a limited understanding as to what happens during the transition out of education. Nonetheless, the literature, though limited, was still there. So, what is it saying?
First of all, you need to understand what a transition is defined as within academia. Although there is not one absolute definition, a transition is widely understood to be broken down into three stages. The 'Ending' stage - where people say goodbye to their familiar roles and environments, the 'Neutral Zone' - where people find themselves in a limbo of identities/roles and can experience uncertainty, and the 'New Beginning' - where people begin to embrace the change and new opportunities (Bridges, 1980). Our transitions through educational institutes can be challenging in themselves for many reasons, but if we look at how our identity is affected by these transitions, we haven't really had to worry about adapting to a new identity/role because we've had plenty of practice in being a learner/student. We know the drill by now, what is expected of us, what we can expect as a student/learner. When we transition into university, however, it gets a bit more tricky. Because for those of us who move out of the family home, roles begin to co-exist. We are not only expected to uphold our student role, but we are now expected to be independent 'adults' (although my research found that most people struggle to identify as adults during university and feel in an identity limbo - more on that in a future post).
Interestingly, for those of us who move back home with family after university - this identity limbo can appear once more. My own research findings suggested that this return into the family home, for some, makes people feel as though they have lost their independence, and have 'reverted' back to childhood, living under parents' roofs etc. This comes as no surprise when research suggests that transitional markers such as being self-sufficient and independent predict whether individuals feel like adults/as though they have made a successful transition from university (Johnson et al., 2007). Lifestage research highlights how emerging adults (18-25) (Arnett, 2004) face pressures of 'normative transitions' (Bell & Lee, 2008) such as becoming employed, and 'non-normative' transitions such as moving back into the parental home after independence (Bell & Lee, 2008).
Researchers such as Furstenberg, Rumbaut and Settersten (2005) rightly suggest that the road to adulthood can no longer be marked by the achievement of a full-time career as graduates are now finding themselves facing greater instability and movement within the workplace. Researchers such as Kwok (2018) argue therefore that is important that this uncertainty must be explored within the career planning of emerging adults. From my own research and the research of others, it is super important that when we are planning to graduate from university, we are not looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses. A degree, unfortunately, does not guarantee us smooth sailing into the working world. If you are reading this and you have not yet graduated, my advice would be to book a careers appointment at your student union (or within your school), explore your options. Even if you have no clue what you want to do, use the resources available to you at that time and speak to someone who can help you narrow down your interests. I still have no idea what I want to do career-wise (although I do have some vague ideas), but I have learnt that that's okay. Once I got over the worry I was going to waste my degree (you never can or will, a degree is still valuable, even if for personal growth), I realised that even if it takes me 10 years to find a career that's right for me, I'm in no rush. I am hoping that by having people share their graduate experiences on One Oh One, it can sieve out some of those unrealistic expectations we may hold, or others may project onto us, towards life outside of education, and ensure that people are coming to this transition with their blinders off and full vision of what is to come. I don't mean to insinuate that everyone struggles with making the transition and that everyone has unrealistic expectations, but we may not have been as prepared as we had liked for making the transition in some shape or form.
If you have moved back home with your parents/family members after graduating and are struggling to feel independent/like an adult, have a chat with your parents/family members about how you're feeling. I struggled for so long with having to move back home and felt as though I had gone back to being a child. But it's important for me - whilst living with my mum - that I have my boundaries. I'll make sure I have plans to see friends over the weekend, or I'll have some evenings where I stay in my room (because my mum needs her space too!) and I keep in the back of my mind that despite the fact that I am 23 and have lived independently for three years, I'm still my mum's baby in her eyes... so I do occasionally have to eye-roll when my mum says 'don't go to bed too late', but I know it's because she cares, not because she wants me to feel like a child. But ensure you have that freedom and have the space to feel like the adult you are!
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References:
Arnett, J.J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Bell, S. & Lee, C. (2008). Transitions in Emerging Adulthood and Stress among Young Australian Women. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15 (1), 280-288. doi: 10.1080/10705500802365482.
Bridges, W. (1980). Making Sense of Life's Changes. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd.
Furstenberg, F. F., Jr., Rumbaut, R. C., & Settersten, R. A., Jr. (2005). On the Frontier of Adulthood: Emerging Themes and New Directions. In R. A. Settersten, Jr., F. F. Furstenberg, Jr., & R. G. Rumbaut (Eds.), The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation series on mental health and development. Research network on transitions to adulthood and public policy). On the frontier of adulthood: Theory, research, and public policy (pp. 3-25). Chicago, IL, US: University of Chicago Press.
Johnson, M.K., Berg, J.A., & Sirotzki, T. (2007). Differentiation in Self-Perceived Adulthood: Extending the Confluence Model of Subjective Age Identity. Social Psychology Quarterly, 70(3), 243-261. doi: 10.1177/019027250707000304.
Kwok, C.Y.N. (2018). Managing uncertainty in the career development of emerging adults: Implications for undergraduate students. Australian Journal of Career Development, 27 (3), 137-149. doi: 10.1177/1038416217744216.
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