First of all, congratulations for completing a four-year commitment of stress, late nights (or all-nighters), cramming study sessions, procrastination and more. You have made it through writing dozens of papers each semester, frustrating group presentations, mock interviews and tutoring sessions.
You have also made friends for life, discovered parts of yourself you never knew, figured out what you believe in, stood up for what you believed in (hopefully at some point) and had some fun along the way.
What I’m here to tell you is something that may come as a shock — it’s OK not to have an exact plan right now. Exploring your options for a little while is actually a pretty good idea.
Volunteering, taking on an internship, or interviewing for several jobs within your field of interest and major are all ways to figuring out your next move. If you haven't found any particular job that catches your interest just yet, keeping your eyes open for job postings that do is resourceful.
You have made it through almost a quarter of a century of life with approximately 18 of those years committed to school. Taking some time to further find yourself is actually OK. During all of the years of school, whether you realized it or not, one of your main focuses in life was education.
So having some time to figure out your next move is better than accepting an opportunity you won't enjoy. Waiting until the right one comes along is better than settling. Having a job you enjoy and making an average amount of money is better than having a job you hate and making more than average the amount of money.
Just because your best friend or fellow classmate has a job or two lined up after graduation doesn't mean you have to as well. Everyone's time and opportunity come when it is meant to, so you shouldn't measure your success next to someone else's. Everyone has different goals they set for themselves that can be accomplished not only through hard work but patience as well.
You don't have to have a job right out of college in order to be successful. Exploring the various opportunities in your field of interest is an important step after before getting a job. Getting your feet wet and gaining as much experience as possible will help you when you are offered jobs.
You have spent three-quarters of your life in school, so giving yourself some time to reflect on those years is OK. You will find your place and purpose soon.
