Unemployed medical graduate ventures into media, starts own company: "It's tough out here"

• In July 2025, Julia Charles graduated and became a doctor, but her joy was short-lived as she struggled to land an employment opportunity
• She opened up about the rollercoaster of looking for a source of income that ultimately led her to start her own company
• Julia also shared going into a depression slump as she tried to find her footing in the corporate world, trying a few gigs to survive

The rate of unemployment continues to rise as the job market becomes increasingly saturated with graduates struggling to secure employment opportunities.

A university graduate has opened up about life after medical school, sharing the challenges and adjustments she has had to make since earning her degree.

When did Julia Charles graduate?

Julia Charles graduated in July 2025, but since then, she has not worked a single shift in any medical institution, forcing her to explore alternative career paths.

She graduated from a reputable university in the Czech Republic, but despite her impressive academic performance, she has remained unemployed for a year.

“That is insane. Since graduating, I started a digital health media company called Wim Studio that offers digital marketing, medical illustrations, content production, social media management, paid advertising, and more. I want to document the process of getting to this point and now trying to build this into something bigger,” she said.

Julia admitted that while she has secured several clients over the past year, not all projects worked out as expected, with some contracts ending shortly after they began.

Julia Charles ends contract with interior design

She recalled one client in the interior design industry whose business practices led to a professional fallout.

“The first client I had in January was an interior design client, and we just weren’t able to work together. After two weeks, I sent them a letter explaining that I could no longer continue working with them. There were a lot of AI-generated manipulations they wanted me to create.

I’m not against AI, but I am against using it to present a false narrative. If you’re going to use AI, people should know that the content has been created using AI. They wanted AI-generated before-and-after images for interior design projects. I don’t think that’s ethical. The same applies to medical aesthetics, medicine, and healthcare. Using AI to create misleading before-and-after images is not something I agree with, so I had to walk away from the project,” she explained.

Julia also reflected on a difficult period when she slipped into depression because of the lack of work opportunities.

Julia Charles opens up about depression

She said she had always been active and productive throughout medical school, making the sudden inactivity particularly difficult to handle.

“I’m someone who always likes to stay busy. During medical school, I always had some sort of job, side hustle, or project. So it was really difficult to suddenly have nothing to do. That’s just not who I am. The past year has been grounding in many ways. I’ve barely left my house because almost everything I’ve done has been from my laptop at home. I went into a depressive slump, came out of it briefly, and then slipped back into it again. It was hard.

I think people need to know that the first year after graduation can be very challenging. I knew I wanted to start my own business and that it would probably take some time before I ever worked in a hospital. I planned for that possibility, so none of this completely caught me by surprise. My goal was always to build this business, and that’s exactly what I’m doing right now,” she said.

Julia’s story has resonated with many graduates facing similar struggles as they navigate life after university and attempt to establish themselves professionally.

College graduate receives job from government

In another story, Charles Lemezi was preparing to sit his final examination at Tandala Teachers College when he received a life-changing letter from the government.

He was overjoyed to discover that it was a job appointment letter, bringing relief amid growing concerns about graduate unemployment.

Lemezi expressed gratitude for the opportunity and reflected on the difficult reality faced by many graduates searching for employment.

Source: NGBREAKINGNEWS