The Aftergrad Podcast

In Part 2 of this conversation about the future, we close out the season with a special guest. Victoria’s younger sister, Elizabeth Ann Gilbert, joins us to talk about her postgrad plans after graduating from West Point a few months ago. Together, we reflect on the bittersweet emotions associated with finishing an undergraduate degree and contemplate the potential impacts of speculative futures in...

It can be quite intimidating to think about the future, especially when there is so much uncertainty and rapid innovation in technology. But it’s a practice that helps us expand our imagination around what’s possible and prepare for the inevitable shifts in culture, work, and beyond. In thinking about potential possibilities for society and ourselves, we briefly discuss some speculative futures an...

A common characteristic of the postgrad moment is separation from friends. And in the era of social media, it can oftentimes feel as though we are totally alone in our emotions and experiences, even though we have immediate access to virtual spaces and online communities regardless of where we might be physically located in the world. Symptoms of loneliness and isolation are becoming more prevalen...

Sacrifice, in a figurative sense, is the act of giving up something in order to pursue an alternative. It's a practice we're all familiar with in one way or another. But what is lost when we make a sacrifice – either for ourselves or for the sake of others? What do we gain in exchange for these offerings of time, energy, and attention? From an economic standpoint, we can quantify the opportunity c...

NYT bestselling author Kelly Williams Brown joins Robert and Victoria to chat about her book Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps , how she navigated the early stages of her career, and offers tips on staying resilient when life doesn't go according to plan. Follow The Aftergrad Podcast on Instagram . View the visual podcast on YouTube . Subscribe to The Aftergrad Newsletter v...

This is a continuation of our previous episode. Listen to “Many Lives in this Life” before tuning into this conversation where we interrogate the meanings of hard/soft life and ask the question of whether or not we’re able to experience both simultaneously. Is a soft life costly? Is a hard life necessary? In the end, we arrive at a verdict on the popular Gen Z TikTok trend, Lucky Girl Syndrome. Ho...

How many lives do you want to live in this lifetime? How do we find meaning in the day-to-day? Do you believe in reincarnation? These are some of the big “what if” questions we tackle in this episode with the help of psychology research conducted by American psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and bestselling author Brian Weiss. Published in 1988, his book Many Lives, Many Masters explains how Weiss cur...

Happy New Year, Aftergrads! We’re kicking off the year with a conversation about meritocracy, networking, and side hustles while also sharing some of our predictions for the future of work. In 2022, it was quiet quitting. In 2023, it’s quiet hiring that will dominate headlines and impact how companies manage or mismanage their human capital. In response to these trends, we think there’s an opportu...

A month ago, we traveled to Austin, Texas as attendees of AfroTech , an annual conference hosted by Blavity, Inc attracting 25,000 black tech professionals who share insight on how they’re growing their business and leveraging innovation to make an impact in education, consulting, finance, and other industries. During our visit, we were notified via email that we were not selected as the winner of...

Sometimes, it can be difficult to find the right words to express exactly what you need and how you’re feeling. We’re currently struggling with this challenge in our own lives and personal careers. In this moment, it certainly helps that we were gifted tickets to an industry conference in Austin, Texas. We talk about what we hope to learn and how we plan to pull up. Stay tuned for next week's epis...

The desire to be perfect can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can motivate us to work hard and achieve our own definition of success. On the other hand, it can lead to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy comparisons when pursuing goals or planning for the future. How do we balance the pressure to be perfect with the need to be flexible, adaptable, and resilient? When is it acceptable to...

Hey Aftergrads. Here’s an update on how our summer went. We talk about what we did as well as some of the victories, challenges, and milestones we faced. Follow The Aftergrad Podcast on Instagram . View the visual podcast on YouTube . Subscribe to The Aftergrad Newsletter via Substack. Got a crazy confession about adulting? Looking for advice on navigating postgrad life? Let Robert and Victoria of...

Welcome to Season 2 of The Aftergrad Podcast, a biweekly show hosted by recent graduates Robert Cain and Victoria Gilbert. After a restful and relaxing summer break, we’re finally back to continue sharing aspects of our postgrad journey and talking about the challenges and societal expectations with navigating adulthood, transitioning into the workforce, and building a successful career. New episo...

This is it! Our Season 1 finale is here! We made it! YOU made it! So much has happened since we left our homes and moved to DC. After graduating from college in May 2021, we experienced a wide range of emotions. One of those emotions was fear, among others like joy, sadness, and regret. In this finale episode, we reflect on our shifts in perspective and the many ways in which we addressed our post...

For the penultimate episode of Season 1 of The Aftergrad Podcast, we wanted to reflect on our personal relationship with each other as well as think about the strangers that have entered our lives and made us better and stronger. We play a game called We’re Not Really Strangers to see how much we’ve learned from and about one another by living and working together for the past year. Often times, w...

Congratulations are in order for the Class of 2022! Not only did you manage to graduate and collect your diploma, but also you overcame the challenges of learning in a remote, isolated environment. This achievement should not be celebrated lightly. You earned it! Welcome to life, aftergrad! Now is the time to relish in the victory, and as we transition into summer, it is also an opportunity to res...

The global economy is in complete and utter shambles. As prices across multiple industries continue to rise and employee salaries remain the same, our value is declining. While this market activity poses a challenge for aftergrads, it also presents us with an opportunity to advocate for our worth by paying close attention to the ways in which our society is recalibrating. No more being happy or gr...

As we pursue our goals, there will be people who challenge the visions we see for ourselves, suggesting we are not capable of achieving them or invalidating our future reality. They might even say our dreams and aspirations are silly delusions. In the face of this skepticism, it is important to remain confident and understand the power of being delusional. What does it mean to be delusional, and h...

The ROI of a college degree is decreasing as nationwide enrollment plunges, skill-based hiring reemerges as a popular recruiting practice, and students struggle to secure their first entry-level role in their desired industry. This begs the question: is a college education still worth the investment? Was it ever? Should we still feel pressured to attend a university if it means sustaining massive...

Mistakes are inevitable, but unforced errors are avoidable. How do we decrease our rate of unforced errors while learning from our past screw-ups? Should we really be afraid of failure? Is it our fault, or does the world owe us something? In this episode, your fellow aftergrads speak on the importance of accepting our mistakes and the power of moving on from failure and setback. Follow The Aftergr...

This episode is extra special because we’re celebrating Robert’s 23rd birthday! We reflect on what we learned from 22 – a year filled with significant uncertainty as well as multiple adjustments – and discuss what we hope to manifest for 23. Victoria also drops a surprise near the end of the episode! Follow The Aftergrad Podcast on Instagram . Tune into the visual podcast on YouTube . Share your q...

As aftergrads, we know how difficult it can be to make the transition from academia to adulthood with the constant challenge of finding our home away from home. Join us for a conversation about overcoming homesickness, creating comfortable spaces in our immediate environment, and navigating the desire to escape our homes. Follow The Aftergrad Podcast on Instagram . Tune into the visual podcast on...

In a failed attempt to make a profit by investing in cryptocurrency through a seemingly secure source, we got scammed out of $2500. This is our story. Follow The Aftergrad Podcast on Instagram . Tune into the visual podcast on YouTube . Share your questions or life situations that pertain to being an aftergrad by completing our Aftergrad Case Study Submission Form for a chance to be featured in ou...

In this episode, we highlight individuals who are actively living out their truth and mastering the Aftergrad moment across multiple industries, including business, finance, healthcare, music, and education. We talk about the different sectors, institutions, and circumstances they navigate and observe how their stories relate to ours and reflect the Aftergrad journey. The allegory of the Aftergrad...

Happy New Year, Aftergrads! Let's be real with ourselves this year. After graduating college, it's a beautiful moment to take in all the possibilities and opportunities, but what if our plan doesn’t happen?! What if the opportunity doesn't make you happy?! What if you're not accepted?! As Aftergrads, we must be prepared for the unexpected outcome in order to maintain our mental, physical, and spir...