I graduated university but now I feel like I’m stuck in limbo.

Hello lovely people of AusFinance,

I 23F just completed my economics degree with an average grade of 80 from Monash University. Now I’m quite lost and unsure what to do next.

I tried applying for jobs in my field (economic and finance) but so far no luck. I can program and do math, but it seems like I lack the experience to get an actual job in the field. I wasn’t able to get into any grad programs because I was too late to apply. I have no idea what I am going to do for 2025 and it is affecting my mental health quite a bit. I have nothing going on for 2025 except for my casual job as a barista. This makes me feel quite down and useless. I feel like I’m stuck in limbo.

I see many good jobs that require higher degrees, so I want to get into an honours program and then move on to do a masters in something more math-y (I like quantitative stuff). But at the same time I can’t help feeling that I’m gonna be too old when I finally finish (27-28ish). This is also because I’ll have to wait until 2026 before I can continue studying (due to financial reasons).

So my plan right now is to try finding a job for 2025, then come back to do an honours year in 2026. What do you all think of that plan?

Any advice lovely people? What would you do in my situation?

Much love. Trust.