Ok, you've graduated...what next?!

So you're reaching the end. After spending your childhood at school learning and playing, then continuing to do the same through university, you now have to consider what you will do next.

A new and exciting phase of your life which should be looked forward to rather than dreaded but the sense of uncertainty can be terrifying.

The first place to look for help is what you majored in and why you wanted to get your degree in the first place. So perhaps you wanted to go into sales and you studied business, or perhaps you always looked up to those who where teaching you all these years and you now want to go on to share what they taught you with the next generation and become a teacher.

If that's the case it should be fairly clear what to do next. But many people end up going to college/university either because it seemed like a good idea or because their parents wanted them to. If that's you then deciding how to move on is going to be a bit more difficult.

First of all congratulations on graduating! In my view whatever you studied, you should have learnt some important skills; including how to learn, how to work with others and a certain amount of self-discipline. Regardless of what subjects you studied these skills are really very important.

So the first step to moving on is the look back at what you have always wanted to do. When you were young did you have ambitions which you have forgotten about?

Also ask all your friends what their plans and ambitions are. Ok so maybe you don't want to get married have three kids and live by a lake like your friend but at least you know something that you don't want to do. By taking an active interest in those around you, you can start to think about different possibilities for yourself.

Laurie Heynes is a designer and serial entrepreneur living in the UK. You can see Laurie's newest T-shirt designs for graduates in his online shop:

If you're looking for a unique graduation gift...look no further!