Graduate employment levels are improving， but you must look beyond your academic work alone.

As Ucas forms are filled in， personal statements written， and the 17-year-olds of Great Britain sit down to decide on what degree they will study at university， theres a lot at stake. Over and above the student debt， and the potential best-friendmaking is the question of what one might do with a degree having completed it， and what career it might lead to.

“Graduate” and “employment” are not terms that have always sat comfortably together， but recently things have been looking up. The Higher Education Statistics Agency （HESA） found that the percentage of university leavers in full-time employment was up by just under two percent in 2012—2013 from the previous year. Although this figure hasnt yet reached a pre-recession level， it bodes well for the minefield that is the post-graduation job hunt.

So far， among my friends， further study has been more popular than employment. Many， finding that their arts and humanities degrees were too vague， have sought postgraduate study instead. One pal， a Leeds University graduate of 2013 now working as a headhunter， counted her employed friends on one hand. “Ive got… three，” she said.“One is working abroad， one at her dads company， and another is in advertising.”

Of late， university has been sold as a reliable route into employment， and my generation has been thrust into higher education on the premise that when we emerge， degree certificate in clammy hand， we will be offered a job. But this simply doesnt hold up anymore： as higher education has been turned into a commodity， undergraduate degrees have lost their worth.

Last week the retail mogul， entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis confirmed this for me at a vocational skills event. “Having a degree means nothing，” he barked into my tape recorder. “I look at what skill sets people have got. Thats key.”

Tell that to the 400，000 students who applied to university last year， and to all of those with undergraduate degrees nationwide. Do not be alarmed， parents， teachers and sixth formers. Having a degree does mean something， but only when it is combined with something else—industry experience， marketable skills， a USP.

But what kind of activities should students engage in to promote themselves in the job market？ I asked a few employed graduates for some help. “Work experience is really key，”Northumbria University graduate Helen Flannery， who now works in PR， explains. “It puts you ahead of the game， as many graduate jobs require relevant experience in a similar role as well as a degree. Volunteering is also a good idea， even if its one day or one evening a week. Use the university careers office， too. They can give you clear and sound advice before you head out into the job market.”

Jennifer Ormiston， a masters graduate of environment management from the University of Stirling， urges undergraduates to make an early start on contact-development. “I would recommend that students join whichever professional institution is related to their career，” she says. “You get to attend all sorts of big events with professionals， and they are a great opportunity to network.”

But how should sixth formers prepare for the world of work even as they choose their university options？ At 17， choosing where you want to live， study and make friends for the next three years is one task—considering the future is quite another.

It pays to think about it， if you can. “Very few people know about the industry of choice that theyre going into，”businesswoman， Apprentice adviser and peer-to-be Karren Brady explains. “I think that theres a bit of a disconnect between the selection of the [university] course， the reasons for the selection of the course， and the realistic expectations of the course.” And shes right： at 17， most people dont know what they want to be when they grow up. Indeed， some adults still dont， well into middle age.

One friend explains to me her approach to applying to university. “I was lucky that I knew what I wanted to do， and understood that the best place for this was London. I applied to all of the best universities there， interned throughout my degree and got a safe 2.1. That earned me a job offer two months before graduation， and a second by September.”

Would she recommend that strategy？ “Absolutely. If youre very ambitious and know what you want， then go for it. Incorporate your university choice into your career—pick the right city for the right job opportunities. The jobs are out there， if you look for them.”

One thing that university affords some students is the opportunity for a year out， either abroad or in a chosen industry.“Because I studied French， I was able to take a year abroad as part of my degree，” Oxford graduate Jake Hills， who now works at a PR firm， explains. “I spent six months working at an ad agency in France， and that got me interested in marketing and branding. I went through the normal interview process to get my job—I think it helped that I had translatable work experience.”

There is a lot to be said for a year out of university. One friends maths degree allowed her a year to begin training as an accountant at a big London firm. She now has a place to finish the scheme in 2015 when she graduates， and after that will be placed in a permanent role. Another friend， a Lancaster University Business Management graduate， picked up a job at a major electronics corporation having spent her “year in industry” at the company. She has since bounded up the promotion ladder， just three years after finishing her degree.

But what is the best advice for anyone who isnt sure about what lies ahead after university？“Dont pigeonhole yourself too much when you choose your course，”Hills says. “Think about how ‘mappable the skills you could learn studying will be to real life. I ultimately decided to study French because I thought that having a language would be a practical thing.”

Theres no mad rush， journalism graduate Jessica McDonnell tells me. “If youre not too sure about what you would like to do when you finish university， take a year out and assess where you want to be.”

“Theres nothing wrong with being indecisive，” Jordan Lambe， a now-employed graduate of Leeds Metropolitan University， agrees. “We live in a world where its easier than ever to dip in and out of different careers， so the worst thing you can do is worry about making the wrong decision.”

Its all about you in the end. “Shoot for your dream and dont be afraid to take risks，” Leicester University sociology graduate Daniel Odutola says. “Be prepared to work very hard and be persistent！” That， coming from your parents， friends or teachers， is the best advice that anyone can give.

畢業(yè)生就業(yè)率正在上升，但你不能單著眼于自己的學(xué)業(yè)。

填好了高校招生服務(wù)處的表格，寫(xiě)好了個(gè)人陳述，17歲的英國(guó)學(xué)生坐下來(lái)考慮著他們要在大學(xué)中學(xué)習(xí)哪個(gè)學(xué)位，其中有很多東西需要慎重考慮。除了學(xué)生貸款和潛在的交友問(wèn)題外，還要考慮修完學(xué)位后要怎么做，這個(gè)學(xué)位能讓自己找到什么樣的工作。

“畢業(yè)生”和“就業(yè)”兩個(gè)詞并不時(shí)常能和諧地一起出現(xiàn)，但最近情況有所好轉(zhuǎn)。英國(guó)高等教育統(tǒng)計(jì)局發(fā)現(xiàn)大學(xué)畢業(yè)生獲得全職工作的比例較去年有所上升，只比2012—2013年度低了2%。雖然數(shù)據(jù)還沒(méi)達(dá)到經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退前的水平，但對(duì)畢業(yè)求職這個(gè)危機(jī)來(lái)說(shuō)是個(gè)好預(yù)兆。

目前，在我的朋友圈中，繼續(xù)進(jìn)修比就業(yè)更受歡迎。很多人覺(jué)得他們的文學(xué)和人文學(xué)位太虛了，于是決定讀研。一位朋友是利茲大學(xué)2013年畢業(yè)生，她現(xiàn)在的職業(yè)是獵頭，她朋友中就業(yè)的人數(shù)用五個(gè)手指就能數(shù)完?！拔矣小齻€(gè)，”她說(shuō)。“一個(gè)在國(guó)外工作，一個(gè)在她爸爸的公司上班，還有一個(gè)在廣告行業(yè)?！?/p>

近來(lái)，讀大學(xué)被吹噓成就業(yè)的可靠途徑，我這一代人被推入大學(xué)的前提是我們畢業(yè)時(shí)，冒汗的手能接過(guò)學(xué)位證書(shū)，我們會(huì)得到一份工作。但現(xiàn)在的情況已經(jīng)不再是這樣了：隨著高等教育成為商品，大學(xué)畢業(yè)證書(shū)已失去了價(jià)值。

上周，零售業(yè)巨頭、企業(yè)家、《龍穴》名人西奧·帕菲提斯在一個(gè)職業(yè)技能講座中肯定了這一點(diǎn)?！皩W(xué)位沒(méi)一點(diǎn)用處，”他對(duì)著我的磁帶錄音機(jī)大聲說(shuō)道。“我要看到他們的技能。這才是關(guān)鍵所在?！?/p>

把這句話告知去年申請(qǐng)大學(xué)的40萬(wàn)學(xué)生，還有國(guó)內(nèi)擁有大學(xué)畢業(yè)證書(shū)的人。但父母、教師和高中畢業(yè)生們不要給嚇到了。擁有學(xué)位當(dāng)然是有用的，但同時(shí)也要有工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)、工作技能、個(gè)人特長(zhǎng)。

但學(xué)生們應(yīng)該參與哪些活動(dòng)以提高自己的求職技能？我詢問(wèn)了一些找到工作的畢業(yè)生。“工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)很重要，”諾森比亞大學(xué)畢業(yè)生海倫·弗蘭納里解釋說(shuō)，她現(xiàn)時(shí)在公關(guān)公司工作?！肮ぷ鹘?jīng)驗(yàn)會(huì)讓你處于領(lǐng)先地位，因?yàn)楹芏喈厴I(yè)生職位需要相關(guān)的職位經(jīng)驗(yàn)和學(xué)位。參加志愿工作也很好，即使一周只參與一天或一個(gè)晚上。好好利用大學(xué)職業(yè)指導(dǎo)辦公室，在你走入求職市場(chǎng)前，他們會(huì)給你清晰有用的建議?！?/p>

珍妮弗·奧米斯頓是斯特林大學(xué)的環(huán)境管理專業(yè)碩士畢業(yè)生，她認(rèn)為大學(xué)畢業(yè)生要盡早開(kāi)始發(fā)展人際關(guān)系?！拔医ㄗh學(xué)生加入與職業(yè)相關(guān)的專業(yè)機(jī)構(gòu)，”她說(shuō)?！澳阋c專業(yè)人士一起參加各種大型活動(dòng)，這是建立人際關(guān)系的大好機(jī)會(huì)?！?/p>

然而，高中畢業(yè)生在選擇大學(xué)時(shí)該如何為職場(chǎng)做準(zhǔn)備呢？17歲時(shí)，其中一個(gè)任務(wù)是選擇接下來(lái)的三年你想在哪生活，學(xué)習(xí)和交友，而考慮將來(lái)則是另一個(gè)任務(wù)。

如果你能做到，考慮將來(lái)對(duì)你有好處。“只有極少數(shù)人知道他們將來(lái)要選擇的行業(yè)，”一位女商人、《飛黃騰達(dá)》的顧問(wèn)（即將與卡倫·布雷迪成為同事）說(shuō)道?！拔艺J(rèn)為所選的課程、選擇課程的原因和對(duì)課程的實(shí)際期望之間的聯(lián)系不甚緊密?！彼菍?duì)的：大多數(shù)人在17歲的時(shí)候都不知道自己長(zhǎng)大后想做什么。事實(shí)上，有些成年人到了中年也搞不清楚這點(diǎn)。

一位朋友告訴我她申請(qǐng)大學(xué)的方式?！拔液苄疫\(yùn)知道自己想做的是什么，知道最好的工作機(jī)會(huì)在倫敦。我申請(qǐng)了那里所有的好大學(xué)，大學(xué)期間我都有實(shí)習(xí)，拿到了安全的2.1績(jī)點(diǎn)。這讓我在畢業(yè)前兩個(gè)月就獲得了一個(gè)工作機(jī)會(huì)，9月份時(shí)有了第二個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)?！?/p>

她推薦那樣的策略嗎？“當(dāng)然會(huì)。如果你有雄心壯志，并知道自己想做什么，那就去做吧。把選擇大學(xué)和職業(yè)掛鉤——選一個(gè)有合適工作機(jī)會(huì)的城市。工作就在那兒，只等你去找?！?/p>

大學(xué)會(huì)讓一些學(xué)生外出學(xué)習(xí)一年，出國(guó)或是進(jìn)入選定的行業(yè)?！耙?yàn)槲覍W(xué)的是法語(yǔ)，作為完成學(xué)位的一部分，我可以出國(guó)一年，”牛津大學(xué)畢業(yè)生杰克·希爾斯說(shuō)道，他現(xiàn)時(shí)在公關(guān)公司工作。“我在法國(guó)花了半年時(shí)間在一家廣告公司工作，我在那對(duì)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)和品牌策劃產(chǎn)生了興趣。我通過(guò)一般的面試程序得到了這份工作——我覺(jué)得我的優(yōu)勢(shì)在于擁有可轉(zhuǎn)化利用的工作經(jīng)驗(yàn)?！?/p>

大學(xué)期間的外出學(xué)習(xí)一年還有很多可說(shuō)的。一位朋友所學(xué)的數(shù)學(xué)學(xué)位讓她有機(jī)會(huì)在倫敦的一家大公司接受會(huì)計(jì)培訓(xùn)。她在2015年畢業(yè)后就可以結(jié)束培訓(xùn)，然后會(huì)有一個(gè)長(zhǎng)期的職位。還有一個(gè)朋友，她是蘭卡斯特大學(xué)工商管理的畢業(yè)生，在一家大型電子公司實(shí)習(xí)一年后，正式進(jìn)入了這家公司。畢業(yè)三年后，她就爬上了晉升的階梯。

但對(duì)那些不清楚自己畢業(yè)后該做什么的人，有什么好建議呢？“選擇課程時(shí)，不要把自己局限在某個(gè)領(lǐng)域，”希爾斯說(shuō)?！跋胂肽銓W(xué)習(xí)的技能在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活的用處。我最終選擇學(xué)習(xí)法語(yǔ)是因?yàn)槲矣X(jué)得掌握一門(mén)語(yǔ)言有實(shí)用價(jià)值?！?/p>

不要倉(cāng)促行事，新聞學(xué)畢業(yè)生杰西卡·麥克唐納告訴我?！爱厴I(yè)時(shí)如果不太確定自己想做什么，你可以花一年時(shí)間出去走走，看看自己想做什么工作?！?/p>

“猶豫不決不是你的錯(cuò)，”喬丹·蘭布也這樣認(rèn)為，他是利茲城市大學(xué)的畢業(yè)生，畢業(yè)即找到了工作?！拔覀儸F(xiàn)在要換工作比以前容易多了，因此，最糟糕的事情就是擔(dān)心自己做錯(cuò)決定?！?/p>

最終一切都取決于你自己?！盀閴?mèng)想而努力，不要害怕冒險(xiǎn)，”萊斯特大學(xué)社會(huì)學(xué)專業(yè)畢業(yè)生丹尼爾·奧都圖拉說(shuō)?！白龊每炭鄬W(xué)習(xí)和堅(jiān)持的準(zhǔn)備！”這就是你父母、朋友或老師能給你的最好建議。