How to avoid the 'now you're just somebody that I used to know' after graduation

HOW TO AVOID THE

“Now you’re just somebody that I used to know”

AFTER GRADUATION.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H E R N Q U E E N S L A N D

The first few years after finishing uni are exciting and it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of starting your career and even possibly moving to another city.

Life takes off and your future sets in. Your uni study buddies who shared a few years of your life with you, may fall into the ‘somebody that I used to know’ category. You might not see each other every

day in the coffee line anymore, but it IS worth making the effort after uni to keep in touch, not only to continue your professional network, but also to reminisce over the years that shaped your future.

Before you make the promise to keep in touch after graduation, here are some tips to stay friends, even after

you’ve set off on different career paths.

It doesn’t have to be a 3 hour phone call to keep the friendship going (ain’t nobody got time for that).

By contacting each other regularly, you can keep your convos shorter and feel part of each other’s lives. You’re about to put all of those years of study into action and your study buddies will be a

great sounding board for your ideas, professional dilemmas and can also celebrate your successes.

“Make the effort”

If you haven’t already, it’s time to add those uni pals to your social network.

LinkedIn is an awesome tool to keep a tab on what you’re both doing professionally and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will make it easy to

keep in touch with what’s happening in each other’s personal lives.

“The power of social”

“Rekindle”

Sometimes if you lose touch, it can be easy to blame the other person.

You’re right, they haven’t made an effort either, but it’s worth taking the initiative to say hi. It is inevitable at some stage that life will get in the way, but it’s important to invest time in

your relationships, especially those that were so important to you for so many years.

“Reunion!”

Get the crew together to swap stories and share what you’ve been up to.

Even if you didn’t invent something like post-its (like Romy from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion), your catch up doesn’t have to turn into the Hunger Games of competitive graduates. You can keep it low-key and casual by having the gang catch up for coffee or a skype session.

Celebrate each other’s success, you’ve worked hard for it!

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And don’t forget about us!We would love to be part of your career journey, so keep in touch!