Entering our first year of college, I'm sure we all had a vision of what our lives might look like the months following graduation. As freshmen, the year 2019 seemed so far away, and at times it felt like it might never come. But nevertheless, we got through that impossible writing intensive course that we thought we'd never pass and killed that exam that we pulled a few all-nighters studying for.
Four falls and four springs later, we pick up our caps and gowns and count down the final days. Some of us have jobs lined up a few weeks after graduation, some plan to attend grad school, while others are still applying to jobs and struggling to figure out what exactly they want. Graduation is the beginning of the rest of your life. It's one of the few times we're allowed to be selfish with our actions. Our futures are finally in our own hands.
As a freshman and even a sophomore, I saw myself "going with the flow," graduating, getting a job, getting married, having kids, etc. That's what you're supposed to do, right? There is no other option, right?
After going abroad my junior year, I realized that there's so much more out there. There are endless possibilities in this world and you can live your life virtually any way you want to. Nothing is written in stone, you don't have to do anything.
So as the last weeks of my semester fly by, I am beginning to carve out my path. I still don't really know where I'm going, but nobody does. I'm applying to different jobs and hoping to find something I'll enjoy. I'm looking to start working in September, living on my own and being independent.
My boyfriend and I are in the stages of planning a trip around Asia for the month of July. Once we accept jobs, we aren't likely to have this kind of flexibility and time off again for a while. We will be volunteering at a children's center in Vietnam and then we'll see where the wind takes us from there.
Most adults, when you ask them, still don't know what they want to do with their lives. Many people who have jobs currently, either aren't satisfied with what they're doing or they may have other plans for where the rest of their lives may take them. Graduating is a stressful thing because you think you have to have it all figured out, but you don't, no one ever does and that's OK.
