For many young people, leaving college may be a time of uncertainty — a time when mommy and daddy have taken a back seat in your life and you are forced to be the driver.

The Royal Gazette talked to three college students who are easing into their new responsibilities and taking a 'test drive' towards success.

Twenty-one-year-old, Shannon Thompson is currently studying math and finance at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, and plans to be either an actuary or an accountant.

"My chances are pretty good, but you have to put yourself out there, he said. "There's a lot of jobs but its not going to be handed to you. You have to go out there and work for it."

Mr. Thompson is planning to enter a field dominated by foreigners, but believes that there is a need for qualified young Bermudians to enter the business world.

By taking a summer job at the Bank of Butterfield he has learned a lot of hands-on experience that most people his age have yet to learn.

He explained: "We were actually handling real funds in my job. I work with real money, I'm not just doing any secretarial position, filing and putting names into a computer, its actually calculations and real accounting."

Through this summer job, Mr. Thompson has seen many Bermudians struggle to move up the ladder, while their foreign co-workers tend to advance easier and at a quicker rate.

Despite this challenge he advises others to attack the professional world with confidence: "Don't be intimidated by the business world but just ask a lot of questions, research things for yourself."

To get a thorough understanding of the arena that you are in, he even suggests that young people should take the initiative and get advice or knowledge from their superiors.

While in college, Mr. Thompson learned the value of networking. "Sell yourself, get your name out there and ask questions," he said. "Don't just take a summer job as a summer job, get involved in what's really going on."

Erin Ingemann, 19, is a summer intern at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and plans to become a nurse once she completes her Arts and Science degree at Bermuda College.

"I want to be a registered nurse so I can work all more than the world if I choose and do for those who can't do for themselves," she explained.

Miss Ingemann took care of her grandparents as a youngster, so it is no wonder she currently works in the geriatrics unit of the hospital, helping to bathe and feed the patients there. "I just like to see them happy," she admitted.

"I've had some patients that I am close with but you can't be too attached with them because you know that eventually they are going to pass (away)".

"My summer job at the hospital has opened my eyes and has actually showed me what I have to look forward to when I enter the field of nursing," she said.

Miss Ingemann admitted that she hopes to travel one day and said: "becoming a registered nurse is like a door way to working anywhere in the world, rather than specialising in any specific area or a job that I wouldn't enjoy."

Though her time at college will soon come to an end, she plans to pursue her bachelor's degree abroad, and added: "I am happy to have succeeded this far. I am ready to go off and further my education."

Accounting major, Kelly Nusum, 21, had mixed feelings about leaving college. "It's a little scary because it means you actually have to go into the real world afterwords. That means you have to apply for jobs and go through that process," she said.

Despite her worries, she admits that her internships in Bermuda, such as her present job at Price Waterhouse Coopers, and those abroad have prepared her for a career in accounting and for life after graduation.

"I'll probably stay away for a few years but I will definitely come back. I think companies appreciate international experience and I think it is also important for personal growth.

"You have the space and the opportunity to find out more about yourself than if you stay in one place and stay the way you are. And you get to meet people with different views and experiences and that in return helps you to learn more about yourself."

Miss Nusum believes finding a job in accounting should not be a problem when she returns back to Bermuda, seeing that there are so few locals in the field.

She advises others to make the most of their summer break with an internship and also encouraged people to stand out from the crowd.

"Make sure when getting hired that you have something that stands out, not necessarily being the top of the class but being well rounded. And if you get turned down once to keep trying," she said.

For Miss Nusum, studying at University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom, college was a time to try new things and meet new people, but it also had its challenges, including the strain on finances and the adjustment to university academic standards.

Still, she believes young people should "make sure they choose a university that they feel comfortable in, and enjoy the university experience, because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity".

"I think just the opportunity to try new things that I wouldn't be able to do without going, like joining clubs."