Authored by Stephanie May, NBR Summer 2009 Intern
"Live it up!" "Stay in college as long as you can!" I cannot even count how many times I heard those phrases last weekend as Colorado grads returned for homecoming. Everyone seemed so glad to be back in beautiful Boulder and the post-grad report was all the same... "The real world is tough... live it up while you can." Now that may all be true, and I don't blame the recent grads for missing the years when a 10 am class is brutally early. But as my mind becomes more and more muddled with my impending graduation, the doom and gloom of the real world is the LAST thing I want to hear about.
We've discussed the post grad panic before, but at the time that I was writing, there was a part of me that was secretly gloating about being one of the cool and confident bunch. As the girl who had her college plans figured out in middle school, I have never worried about my future. I've only looked forward to its arrival, so certain that my exiting plans would come true. It has taken a lot of hard work, and just a little bit of luck, but I have usually been able to carry them out.
But now the days of college are ticking away, and real life is quickly approaching. My brain is running full speed ahead with plans and applications, but my heart is wandering somewhat lost and lazily in its dust. All of a sudden I'm filled with uncertainty about what is right for me and where I truly want to end up.
I'm not the only one. The big news on every senior's mind is "what the heck am I going to do with my life?" Thankfully, my dreams haven't changed. I still want to be a broadcast journalist and am willing to do anything to make it there. That sounds definitive right? It's not. Anyone in the biz knows that as a baby journalist you can end up anywhere. Although I would still love to live and work in D.C., I don't know if I'll be able to find a job there immediately post-grad. I could wind up in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, find myself staying in Denver, or even work abroad. I have absolutely no clue what I'm going to be doing exactly a year from now.
There are two reactions one could have to such uncertainty... either fear, or excitement. As we have talked about before, I've seen people become absolutely paralyzed by fear of what the next year is going to hold. Terrified that their carefree days are over, scared to death about managing their own lives/finances/schedules, whatever. But that's not the way I'm reacting. In my post middle school years I have learned to relax and trust that one of my plans... whichever one is right... will work out. I also am fortunate to know that if worst comes to worse I can always head home and spend some time with the 'rents reevaluating.
But although I'm fortunate to have fear not be a factor... I am still more uncertain about my life than I've ever been. Think about it. Ever since pre-school, our lives have been planned for us. You graduate second grade and go on to third. After high school (at least in my family) there was absolutely no question that college was the next step. So now what?
I have no idea. With the job market still not at its peak... how long is it going to take me to find a job? Will I be near my family, friends or anyone I know? Will I be able to make ends meet and find a job that will cover my living expenses? There are so many questions. I'm wandering into a dark tunnel unsure of when or where I'll turn up. For the first time in my entire life, I have no idea what's next!
The good news is that I guess this is normal. Everybody is faced with a fork in the road eventually. The only thing we can control is how we handle the uncertainty. I heard a quote once that said, "The adventure you're ready for is the one you get." I guess all we can do is buckle up and hold on for dear life. Fiscally fit... where do we go from here?
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Comments
There appear to be certain times in our lives when we are just about guaranteed a period of PANIC. You are entering one. I supervise doctoral interns and towards the end to their internship when they realize they have stayed in school as long as is humanly possible, they panic. They have school loans, and often no jobs. I see the panic as normal, though unpleasant. It is what you do with the feelings that will dictate how quickly you come out the other side and how you feel in the process. Good luck! Rick
Some would say school stifles creativity ... but I say poverty breeds ideas. So the worst that can happen is you'll be strapped for cash, but who knows, that strap might eventually harness a money-making idea. Look forward to creating your own road, forget even the one less traveled, and let the haters/nay-sayers motivate you! Good luck!
Just the fact that you're thinking constructively about what you like and what you want to do puts you way ahead of the game, Stephanie. The people who fear the "real world" are the ones who have had no contact with actual work or professional life whatsoever. You've had productive internships, and your blog is a creative look at money and the world, so all you have to do is keep going. When John Mayer says, "I want to run through the halls of my high school. I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I just found out there's no such thing as the real world. Just a lie you've got to rise above." What he's saying is that each of us is larger and more complex than anybody else's attempt to define us. Jobs come and go. Sometimes they're fulfilling, sometimes they just pay the bills. But each of us is more than an employee, we are crazy, complex, surprising people. There are many forks in many roads, so go enjoy the journey and travel courageously!
I love that quote at the end. I'm graduating this April and I have my "ideal" plan... kind of. But I also have plan B through Z! All of which I would be happy with and whatever shakes out of all the applications and interviews, I know I just have to take it make the best of it!
After graduating this past May, I still haven't found work. Now that we're in November--six months after graduation--I'm worrying because school loans are coming due.
I was lucky enough to get a job offer straight out of college, but having been between jobs several times in the past few years, I can say with confidence: embrace the uncertainty and enjoy the excitement of not knowing what comes next. That's often when the best, most unusual opportunities come knocking. So much of life is painfully predictable. Love the moments when it's not.