I’m graduating, what happens next?

Feeling uneasy about the day after taking off your cap and gown

Maria Ly
Staff Writer

Every year, brings a new graduating class. Some of us are graduating this fall, some of us are graduating in the spring. Nonetheless, we’re one step closer to entering real life in the scary webs of the workforce.

As someone who will be graduating at the age of 20 years old, I find graduating extremely frightening and in some ways weird.

Most of our lives, since we were the age of five, we’ve been in school. Our lives have been centered around school. Our years don’t begin in January, but start when the first semester hits. Our time off, our vacations and our work days rely on when we have school.

Now that I’m graduating, now what? What is my life without school?

Most of us venture into getting jobs right after college, some of us go to graduate school and continue with our studies. For me, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.

I’m 20, two years of extra school wouldn’t hurt. I’m young. I could get another bachelor’s degree or go into graduate school, but that just sounds like more money I would have to spend.

I could get a fellowship and get experience before I get a job, but I don’t feel qualified. I could work my butt off to pay back my student loans, but that doesn’t sound fulfilling.

I listen to my friends talk about their plans after graduation. They seem like they know what they’re doing, which contributes to my insecurities about graduation.

It’s not just having no idea what I’m doing, but feeling like I’m not good enough to enter the workforce. The idea of networking scares me so much. The thought of asking for a letter of recommendation makes me want to hide. I’m not fit to be an adult, but yet I am one.

I feel like I’m not qualified. I’m scared that if I enter a real job, I’ll mess up so bad because of my lack of experience.

However, after thinking to myself for a while, taking in consideration what my advisors and mentors have said to me in the past, maybe it doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you’re doing.

It’s okay to take it slow. It’s okay to take time making these important life decisions. After all, it is only a small portion of our lives.

It’s okay to ask for advice whether that be from professors, advisors, friends, etc. They may know something we didn’t and can help us as we transition from school to life.

No matter what you choose, you’ll be okay. Maybe it’s fate. Maybe it’s life. Right now, maybe all we need to focus on is graduation. Our worries about our futures will settle down. Whatever our lives end up being, we’ll make it.

Header photo courtesy of Flickr.