A red polyester graduation gown is not a good look, especially when you're sitting on a football field in the middle of May under the hot afternoon sun waiting for commencement to be over.
I sat amongst close friends and more than 6,000 fellow Stony Brook University students as we all patiently waited for the university president to say those six magic words: “Congratulations to the class of 2016!”
Within seconds, red caps flew through the air and students shared tears, hugs, cheers and photos to commemorate the momentous occasion.
After four years of intense classes, grueling course loads and trying to maintain a social life, I graduated with a double major in journalism and sociology. I was itching to get out into the real world for several semesters at this point, and for my friends and I, this was the start of the rest of our lives.
But truth be told, the post-grad life may not be what you expect, and it comes with its own set of frustrating challenges. Trust me.
Some of my classmates solidified full-time jobs weeks before the semester ended, as I skipped class and slept in order to finish my senior project. A few of my friends continued their year-long internships or returned to their freelance gigs as the summer started to roll in. Meanwhile, I left an internship I was very unhappy with and started back at square one. A handful of people even moved to other states to start the next chapter of their lives, and I stayed at home on Long Island.
During the final weeks of my last semester, I heard the question every college senior dreads: “So what’s next?” Everywhere I turned, I was being interrogated. Professors. Faculty members. Family. I didn’t know what to tell them because I didn’t have anything planned.
It’s been just over two months since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree and I still hear that question.
And I still don’t have an answer.
In my spare time—and I’ve got a lot of it—I’ve become a job application queen, reorganized my room more times than I can count, returned to my retail job, chauffeured my teenage sister all over creation and can probably add “Professional Live Tweeter” to my resume after this season of “The Bachelorette.” Sick life, I know.
I've gotten discouraged. I’ve been upset. I’ve tried to convince myself that I will not be successful because it isn’t happening for me right this second. But nonetheless, I’ve picked myself up by the bootstraps and kept going.
No, I don’t have a full-time job, but I’ve been able to do a lot of things I couldn’t while I was in school.
I see my friends a few times a week to catch up on what’s new or go see a movie, not because we are sitting in the School of Journalism’s newsroom at 4 a.m. trying to put the finishing touches on a rough draft due in a few hours.
I’ve sat down and watched television, read books and went to concerts just because I have the time now.
I spend time with my parents and have actual conversations with them, something I didn’t get to do often because of all the time I was at school, even though I was a commuter.
Sometimes I wish I would be returning to the university in the fall, just to have a safety net to fall back on when all else fails. Sometimes I wish I had applied to jobs sooner, or majored in something else or went to another school instead. Maybe things would be different. Maybe they wouldn’t be.
When you are getting ready to graduate, you will be told that finding a job will happen in due time—you just have to keep trying.
And they’re right.
But at the same time, you won’t be told that what suits one of your classmates may not suit you. So what you don’t have a full-time job ready for you post-graduation? A little time off—expected or not—will not be the worst thing in the world.
Remember that you have spent the last four to six years of your life putting immeasurable amounts of blood, sweat and tears into obtaining your degree. Take a breather.
You’ve accomplished a lot, and you will continue to have those successes. Rest and recoup. Everyone experiences things differently.
And your time will come soon enough.
