I was speaking with a friend two days ago about life after graduation.
She was freaked out about the whole ordeal of making her life plans and a little intimidated by those around her who seemed to have everything perfectly mapped out.
My first thought was why, then I remembered how I felt when I was close to crossing the academic finish line. The feeling like I was always working and studying hard only to have that glaring question of "so what are you gonna do after graduation" ready to assault me at every turn. I could empathize.
No one knows what they are going to do right after graduation. We have hopes, goals, and plans but the expectation that we are all going to have everything perfectly together is unrealistic.
Post-grad life is scary in the sense that it's unpredictable, there are no grades to tell you how you are doing, and now you find yourselves trying to build a life for yourself. It's hard but it's all worth it. It's frustrating but you find yourself (yeah, I know overused phrase). It's when you see how resourceful, driven, and strong you can be.
There is no right Plan A, B, or C. All the things we are lead to believe such as getting that suit & tie job immediately or registering for your Master's right away are not necessarily the right steps or steps that happen very easily. If you can manage to get any job that will pay the bills then you are on the right track. Success and all the other fairy tale stuff are things we have to define for ourselves.
Post-grad life has taught me these things:
1. There is no 5 year plan
2. Everyone needs a break after undergrad before beginning grad work
3. As long as you have beer and bread money, you are doing mighty fine
Basically, the only thing I can say is that you have to just buckle in and embrace your life.
We spend so many years in school signing up for the right classes, joining the right clubs, and chasing the right grades all for a chance at an entry level job. While those attributes would have meant top choice candidacy with companies 25 years ago, it's very different in a society where university education is an expectation and laid off professionals are competing with us for the same jobs.
She was freaked out about the whole ordeal of making her life plans and a little intimidated by those around her who seemed to have everything perfectly mapped out.
My first thought was why, then I remembered how I felt when I was close to crossing the academic finish line. The feeling like I was always working and studying hard only to have that glaring question of "so what are you gonna do after graduation" ready to assault me at every turn. I could empathize.
No one knows what they are going to do right after graduation. We have hopes, goals, and plans but the expectation that we are all going to have everything perfectly together is unrealistic.
Post-grad life is scary in the sense that it's unpredictable, there are no grades to tell you how you are doing, and now you find yourselves trying to build a life for yourself. It's hard but it's all worth it. It's frustrating but you find yourself (yeah, I know overused phrase). It's when you see how resourceful, driven, and strong you can be.
There is no right Plan A, B, or C. All the things we are lead to believe such as getting that suit & tie job immediately or registering for your Master's right away are not necessarily the right steps or steps that happen very easily. If you can manage to get any job that will pay the bills then you are on the right track. Success and all the other fairy tale stuff are things we have to define for ourselves.
Post-grad life has taught me these things:
1. There is no 5 year plan
2. Everyone needs a break after undergrad before beginning grad work
3. As long as you have beer and bread money, you are doing mighty fine
Basically, the only thing I can say is that you have to just buckle in and embrace your life.
We spend so many years in school signing up for the right classes, joining the right clubs, and chasing the right grades all for a chance at an entry level job. While those attributes would have meant top choice candidacy with companies 25 years ago, it's very different in a society where university education is an expectation and laid off professionals are competing with us for the same jobs.
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