I am in my last year of school and I can say without hesitation, college has been the best time of my life, thus far. However, I will not let this experience forever hold the title of "the best 4 years of my life" as everyone is so quick to claim.
Truthfully, that saying makes me very sad. Don’t get me wrong, I would not trade my college years for anything. I would probably even add a few extra years to my college experience if feasibly possible. However, when I’m 40, 50 years old, am I going to want to reflect on the past 20 years and think, “Wow, my life was so much better 20 years ago? I would give anything to go back to those days.” Absolutely not.
Yet, it is so easy to fall into the path that leads to that sad reality for many graduates. Almost immediately after that hat toss and champagne toast, we throw ourselves into the job hunt and begin ‘life as we know it’. Sure, the whole ‘hour commute and 9-5 workday to come home to your husband or wife and kids’ is a bit of a cliche, but it’s also [quite a large] bit of the truth for many.
We are force fed the notion that if we want to be ‘successful’ and ‘a contributing member of society’ we have to be thrown right into a career and essentially, throw away our lives to ‘work towards our goals and aspirations’. If you are so lucky to know for certain what you want out of your life and what will make you happy, then hats off to you, man. But, what about us ‘nobody’s’ who haven’t the slightest clue? Does that make us any lesser of an individual for not having it all figured out just yet?
Life. Is. Short. So what I am trying to suggest to you is that you should quite literally do whatever the heck you want. Do not waste this time slaving away in some career that does not make you happy. Do what you want. Do what you want when you want. Don’t want to do something? Don’t do what you don’t want to do. Don’t feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to do to. Tired of my motivational spiel yet?
While I have been so blessed with family, friends, and a significant other who support my free-spirit lifestyle, I know that this is not the case for many. My bit of advice for those who have people in their lives who they do not want let down [which should be all of us], is to be as real and upfront with them as possible. Your parents cannot fault you for not having your whole life together at 22-years-old. Your friends and boyfriend or girlfriend will not -or should not- think lesser of you for wanting to find your own path. These people are your support system and should want was is best.
After graduation, I want to travel. I want to have new experiences and continue to find myself [also a bit of a cliche]. I want to grow and educate myself enough to know what kind of career is best suited for me when I find that it is time to secure a more stable, consistent path.
I understand that not everyone has the means to travel as it can be so expensive [I have to bust my ass for it]. I also understand that not everyone has the same desire to bounce from city to city as I do but that does not mean this topic is not still relevant to you! I urge all to take some time after school and be selfish. Yes, you play hard in college but you also have to work very, very hard as well. If you have to work, find something that allows you to still take the time you need to do the things you want to do.
After graduation is when we truly begin to create a life for ourselves. What we choose to do and how we choose to live is entirely up to us and that freedom should not be taken lightly.
