It’s that time for joy and cheer, smiles and laughter, sadness and tears. Graduation is a time where families and friends can come together, no matter their differences, and celebrate a step completed in someone’s life. My graduation was one like I describe and I believe many others are too.
Graduating from college seems to be an end; what students work towards for most of their childhood and adolescent years in school. I thought once I graduated that I would be able to get a job, start a family and buy a house. I am now starting to see that graduation is merely a step in one’s journey. A big step granted, but a step that has been achieved and one that can lead to great things if a person follows through.
Once you have gone through commencement, the next question is what to do? Do I keep my current job? My current job will only keep me if I’m a student, do I go back to get my masters degree? These questions have run, and are currently running, through the minds of every recent graduate and maybe even the ones who were conferred last year. It’s weird not being a student anymore. There are no classes, no tests, especially no papers for us English majors, but most importantly there is no comfort.
Comfort is the one thing that college provides a lot of students. There is a club and or organization for everyone and anyone. College gives the platform to make friends in and out of class and to network with professionals in a specific field. Yea, there is social media to keep us together, I’ll see a snap here or a tweet there but now we must go out of our way to stay in touch. The ability to rely on seeing someone in class to chat is not an option anymore.
Now in the summer is our chance to make moves. Us grads must push forward with job applications, networking and continuing our education to allow for better chances at our dreams. It is not the time to dwell on past mistakes, bad grades or that one professor who rubbed you the wrong way. Now is the time to look forward, set goals and succeed. This is going to be a great summer, Summer ’16.
No matter what path you take as long as you stay true to yourself and achieve your goals you will succeed.
