I graduated about four months ago, and since then I have learned several things about myself.

I thought I had a plan for what I wanted to do and accomplish after four years of trudging to classes and writing research papers through the night. I thought I would walk away with the diploma with the confident feeling that I was going to go do good things for the world.

And maybe that was a good thought, but I guess life isn’t always that easy.

We go through college being told what the real world expects of us. My professors often graded my papers with a professional touch, encouraging me to approach my writing with a professional attitude and presentation. I was given advice on how to act, how to present my work, and how to represent myself as a person in all future career choices.

On graduation day, I walked up to get my diploma with a couple ideas in mind. I thought I was going to go straight from my diploma to the life of a working woman. With my diploma in hand, I was confident.

The truth about life after graduation is that it takes a turn; we never expect life to turn out the way it does.

The concept of “the real world” comes to mind when I think about my own experience. I have little work experience before and during college, mainly because I wanted my full focus to be on getting an education. I came to learn that many of the jobs I aimed to apply for now that I have the time are more welcoming to applicants who have had the necessary experience in that field.

When I first went to school, I had a plan that put school before anything. I put my priorities in order. Come senior year, everything had changed. I got married before my last semester, and all of a sudden I was juggling school and the pressures and responsibilities of a newlywed life.

My every day life is simple and fun, and I’m enjoying it, but it’s also hard to think that I worked so hard through college only to struggle in starting a writing career. I have found new hobbies, done a lot around my apartment, and found new likes and dislikes. I sit and wait for my husband to come home from work to tell me about his day. I’ve learned to cook new dishes, I’ve discovered a new way to use watercolor paints, I’ve even redecorated my apartment walls several times since December.

I take pictures, I go on walks, I look for things to entertain me. I found an online outlet that allows me to write articles that get seen by friends and family, and I’m coming up with new ideas for short stories every day. I take on small freelance writing and piano accompanist jobs that earn me a little bit of cash. I’m doing small things that still focus on what I love to do.

I have a lot of time to myself to think and get creative, and sometimes that’s more than enough.

I graduated four months ago, and yet I still haven’t found the job to start off my writing career. I have limited choice of writing opportunities in a town this small, but I’m finding that I can focus on the good things in life instead of letting unemployment bother me. It can be hard, but at the same time rewarding.

I’m not where I thought I would be right now. I made changes to the plans I had and thought I wanted only one year ago. Plans change, I know that now. I’m not as worried as I used to be about the future, because sometimes you have to sit back and just let life go the way it’s meant to go.

Yes, this may not be what I expected fresh out of college, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying myself. I’m just waiting to see what happens, and I can’t complain.