What to Do When Your Start Date Is Pushed Back By Covid
As some of you know, I recently graduated from university and have a Software Engineer job lined up at a bank in Scotland! My start date is supposed to be mid-August, but due to covid it’s been pushed back. Application centres have been closed due to covid and are just starting to re-open at the end of this month so my start date is pushed back indefinitely until I can obtain my work visa and safely travel to the UK. In the US it’s hard to know when it will be safe to travel because while other countries’ numbers are decreasing, our covid numbers are still rising at an alarming rate since people aren’t wearing masks & social distancing.
It can be stressful to have your start date pushed back indefinitely and not know what the future holds. I like having order and structure to my daily life, so it’s certainly been a big life change. I think we’ve all had to get used to some level of uncertainty during this pandemic since our world has changed so much. In light of this, I wanted to share some ways I have been dealing with this uncertainty and how I am continuing to learn new skills while waiting to start my new job.
(Disclaimer: I also want to note that everyone is coping with this pandemic and job uncertainty in a different way and this is just how I am coping. I am definitely lucky and privileged to be able to stay at my family’s home and be financially stable enough with savings that my start date being pushed back is not a huge financial concern for me.)
Prioritize your career goals 👩🏻💻
Since graduating, I’ve taken some time to sit down and really think about what I’m interested in, want to pursue, and my career goals. I’ve heard from friends who are already working that it’s easy to get caught up in the 9-5, and lose sight of what you really want to get out of your career. For me, I’m interested in HCI, security, and design (both web and graphic) and going forward I know I want to have some combination of those at my job.
Take a new online course 📒
I’ve always been interested in graphic design and worked with design tools like Canva, but never learned how to make designs from scratch using Adobe Illustrator. I thought this would be a perfect time to learn, so I bought a course on sale on Udemy (Adobe Illustrator CC - Essentials Training Course) and started learning! It’s been great learning something new and improving a skill that I know I’ll use in future for my web design business. There are also tons of courses on Coursera and Udemy that focus on less career-specific skills such as improving public speaking, making better presentations, etc.
Learn the software and tools you’ll need for your new job 🖥️
This is slightly related to the tip above, but it’s a good idea to get familiar with any software/tools you’ll need for your new role. For example, if you’re starting a job in tech it’s likely that some type of project management software will be used such as Trello, Jira, or Asana. Some of these can be difficult to use starting off, so you can go through tutorials and sign up for a free account to get familiar with the software. Additionally, it can be good to brush up on software mangement/version control software such as GitHub or GitLab.
Update your professional resources 🗃️
Now is the perfect time to update your professional resources! It’s good to go through your LinkedIn and make sure all your relevant work experience is listed, highlighting your accomplishments. If you’ve just graduated like me, it’s also good to go through and add anyone from University that you want to stay connected with going forward. Secondly, take some time to go through your résumé and make sure it’s updated too.
Put quality time into your passion projects! 💚
This is a great time to grow your ‘side hustle’ or start a completely new one. Over my time at uni, my blog and Instagram were updated less frequently since I was often busy with coursework. Recently, I’ve had more time to focus on my passion projects including this blog, my Instagram, and my Etsy shop where I sell women in tech merch. In fact, I just released a new mug - ‘The Future Is Women in Tech’ on my Etsy that I designed and created from scratch! It has been so fulfilling to use what I’ve been learning from my Adobe Illustrator course to create new designs and merch that is perfect for empowering & inspiring women in STEM 👩🏻💻. We have so much to bring to the table including new perspectives, our talent, and our skills and I truly do believe that the future is women in STEM!
11 oz mug
15 oz mug
Although it can be disheartening to have your job start date delayed, I think it’s all about perspective. Mostly, I’m grateful for the extra time to spend at home safe with my family, the opportunity to slow down, and to focus on my passion projects. I hope this post has helped anyone else whose start date is delayed due to covid and has been feeling a bit down about it. Comment below and let me know what’s one positive of being quarantined at home for you! 💚
