Last month I finished my final classes of my undergraduate degree and I felt so relieved to finally be done. Just yesterday, my diploma finally came in the mail. It's official! I am a college graduate! And I don't know which emotion is stronger right now: excitement or terror.

I am beyond excited to have accomplished such a large feat in life especially after all of the difficulties that came with it throughout my particular journey—both parents in the hospital, surgery of my own, unsure of finances and whether or not to transfer, having my school announce that it was forced to close two weeks before graduation my junior year because of a failed merger, finding a school to finish my senior year, adjusting to this new school, my best friend going home half-way through the semester because she was sick and then coming home to finish online for my final semester.

Everyone says that after college is when reality sinks in and you have to be a real adult. I felt like my college experience provided a heavy dose of reality that would prepare me for this ever-looming "real world." The more I experience life away from school though the more I realize that the reality just isn't the same.

The reality of college was hard, but it was still safe within the confines of aspirations for the upcoming real world. I was making plans about my future, finding myself and determining who I wanted to be. Now that process is over, and it's time to act on what I had learned. And so follows the mindset of a recent college graduate:

I have a degree! I'm on the first step to building the career of my dreams! But do I even know what the career of my dreams is? Do I know the proper steps to get me there? I've been working so hard for this first step that I didn't realize all of the steps I would need to take afterward to get where I wanted to be.

Now that I'm free from school, I can take more opportunities! Oh but wait, opportunities cost money. And I need to save that because I owe it to loan companies.

Well, now I have to find a job. But I have a degree! I can get the kind of job I want! But the job market for people my age is so limited that it makes it hard to find a job that isn't part time or that pays well. Everything that I want to do requires experience, but I can't get the experience unless I get hired, but nobody will hire me without experience. It's a vicious cycle.

Well, I could always do some freelance stuff or volunteer stuff to get experience so that I can get the job I want! Let's do that! Oh wait, volunteer means no money. I still need that for loans. So I have to settle for a job that will help me pay those off for now so I can pursue my dream later. Maybe I can try to do volunteer stuff on the side so I can still get some experience while I work. But, that will take up a lot of time and I'm already so exhausted from these last four years.

I am in a balancing act.

I am in limbo.

I have dreams and aspirations that college was supposed to help me fulfill, but that was only the first step. Does anyone else feel the weight of discouragement pressing down on them from the distance between the fulfillment of the first step till the next step? Please tell me I'm not the only one.

So many adults think that our generation is advantaged because of our access to education, but they don't see the interim process of those who didn't get a great job right out of college. The majority of us are stuck in a limbo caused by employers demand for degree and experience.

We are a generation of change and initiative, and we need to fight for our dreams with everything we have in order to avoid getting stuck in a rut. It's hard, but think about your dream. Is it worth it to get out of limbo?

Do what you can! Work hard! Look for every available opportunity and seize it! We are young, we are strong, and we can make it!

Am I excited to get my degree? Yes! But I am still terrified of the unknown journey ahead now that I do have it. But I'm still excited. Don't let the dark unknown of limbo snuff out the fire that has been growing inside of you the last four years. Go for it! We will only make a difference if we continue to work hard!

Let's go, Millennials!