I am 24-years-old and only six months removed from my graduation ceremony. I spent four and a half years at Sam Houston State and left with a degree in English and a minor in creative writing. I will be applying to graduate schools all across the country in hopes of getting my Master's degree in creative writing.

I also will be starting my full-time job as a construction laborer in New York next month, where my job will consist of operating a GPS device to map out the terrain and dimensions of the job site.

Not exactly what I had in mind as my first career move.

Now, I have worked in the food service industry for the last eight years of my life at just about every position you can think of, so I am not foreign to the concept of labor without love. I loved talking with people, helping to ensure they had an enjoyable experience and the challenge of remaining cool in a highly stressful environment, but ultimately the jobs did not give me the feeling of satisfaction.

Writing, editing, revising, and the final production of a concentrated piece of thought gives me a sense of completion that neither of the work from these two sources provides. I love storytelling not just as a producer, but as a consumer and facilitator as well. I truly believe that communication is the ultimate answer to understanding both ourselves, others and the world at large.

So why take a position that has nothing to do with what I love? Simple: I have bills to pay.

That is not a bad thing!

Plato once said that "necessity breeds invention," and that does not stop at physical inventions such as the spear or the wheel. We grow and adapt according to the reality of our current situations. If you are an introvert and your only source of income is talking to customers and building a connection with them, you quickly learn to adapt or you go hungry.

I would love to have a job where I talked to individuals all day, every day over art, philosophy, emotions, and sport, but that is only because I spent several years coming out of my shell as an introvert. I pursued a degree in English and literature because I want to put myself in the position where I can one day guide others in those same pursuits, but there is still growth to be had in other areas of my life.

The skills that got me that degree and the skills that were taught to me along the way are going to stay with me. Now I have the opportunity to learn a new skill in something I never even knew existed, and whatever I learn there can be brought back to my comfort zone to renovate that space even further.

People cannot remain in the same space forever. I hope that if you are out there getting your degree right now and/or about to graduate you will do so and keep this idea of openness to opportunity with you. That first job may not be ideal, but it may be exactly what you need.