Evaluate your current situation - what opportunities are available?
When you are about to finish your tertiary study you may want to start thinking about your future. It’s important to have some kind of idea about where you want to go and what you want to do.
On this page
Professional registration and joining professional groups
Some professions have compulsory or voluntary registration or licensing. Find out if registration or licensing is something you need to consider once you’ve finished your study.
Registration assures the public that you are practising your profession to a high standard. It also means you are accountable to a professional body.
By joining a professional body you get to network with people in your field, and find out about upcoming conferences, new research in your field, issues within your profession, and ongoing training and job opportunities.
Ask at work or search on the Internet for the industry association responsible for your registration. You can also check our job information for advice on registration.
Check out our job information
Entrepreneurship
Do you have a good idea for a new business and want to be your own boss? If you have the knowledge and drive to be successful, start thinking about what else you may need to start your own company.
There are a lot of advantages to being your own boss but before you make that step be sure what to expect and plan for what you want to achieve. It’s very important to do the groundwork. This can be hard work but there are organisations that can help get you started.
Meet Chloe who would like to have her own business
Chloe has always wanted to have her own company. She has a great interest in art, but many of her artist friends who are very talented don't make any money with painting. She would like to change that. Studying business seems the obvious choice so she can learn more about running her own company.
Chloe knows that this isn't going to be easy but she has been networking with people in the industry throughout her studies. She knows how to make this successful. She has developed a three-year business plan and has also been spending lots of time on the biz website. It's got lots of free info about starting and running a business. She has already started selling artworks from home, but would like to change to a store location.
Her plan is to work for a friend while she is trying to set up a business on the side. That way she has a steady income until her company is making profit.
Chloe also has a mentor, Brenda, who started her own business about seven years ago. Chloe met Brenda when she presented to one of Chloe's classes. Brenda really inspired Chloe and is more than happy to meet with her once a month so Chloe can talk about her ideas.
Specialising
Some tertiary students prefer to take a general subject, so they can keep their options open. For example, you may do a business degree and later move into marketing.
It doesn’t matter if you want to specialise now or in the future, but it is important to keep yourself up to date with what the market needs. Your flexibility or ability to specialise could determine your career opportunities.
If you are unsure about specialising you could start working and think about specialised postgraduate study a little bit later.
Meet Cameron who would like to do his Master of Business Studies
Cameron has been working for a consulting company for three years since he graduated with his Bachelor of Business Studies. He likes the variety and challenge of consultancy work. Senior colleagues have advised Cameron to get a Master of Business Studies so he can have a competitive edge in this area.
Cameron’s employer is supporting his decision to do part-time studies and has offered financial assistance, provided Cameron commits to staying with the company for two years after completing his studies.
Cameron thinks that a Master of Business Studies is a good idea because he sees this being in high demand in the future. He believes that he will learn most things on the job, but consulting professionals often need a postgraduate qualification and he wants to gain any advantages possible.
Networking - creating opportunities
Today's business world is becoming more and more competitive and skilled labour is in demand. Networking can help broaden your job options and find out more about opportunities in the industry. It's so easy, yet really effective. All you have to do is grab every opportunity. For example, if your work organises some social events to thank customers or clients for their business, go along and make some new contacts or strengthen current ones.
Remember, be polite and professional around all business partners and customers you are interacting with - you never know when you will meet them again or if they will be able to help you in the future.
Travelling and working overseas
If your goal is to travel and work overseas, think about:
- whether you will try to get work in your profession in your new country
- whether you will get a job in another area, such as hospitality, and get into your trained profession when you return to New Zealand.
Many countries allow those with a New Zealand passport to work for a certain period of time. Depending on your age, your qualifications, your ancestry and your language skills, you will find there are many opportunities for New Zealanders who want to work overseas.
A step-by-step guide to travelling and working overseas
Meet Blair who is planning to go to Dublin
Blair is in his final year of study and is very keen to take some time out before starting to work and settle down in New Zealand. Friends of his who have decided to travel want to go to London because they have friends or family living there and it seems the obvious choice. Blair wants to be different and is heading to Dublin in Ireland.
Blair will have a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration by the time he leaves. He is certain that his four years of study will have given him sound general knowledge and good tools to find a job in Ireland.
Blair is currently looking into all the requirements for working in Ireland and wants to have all this organised so he is ready to go once he finishes studying. He has found out that he needs to apply for a working holiday visa and is confident that he meets all the necessary requirements. Blair has some savings so he can live without a job for a couple of months in Dublin if necessary.
