With graduation within reach I have been doing a lot of thinking and pondering over what is to come. This has obviously caused me severe anxiety, and I have been very uncertain about what lies ahead. But, if there is one thing I know about what is to come; it is that I am really, really going to miss these times in college. As an approaching graduate, I am very nervous about entering the real world for a number of reasons, so I hope you can empathize with me on these 10 things I'm most nervous about after graduation.
Student loans
As if it wasn't horrible to fill out the paperwork for these stupid things, now we have to start thinking about paying them back within the next year. I am from a middle-class family, so student loans were a very practical idea for myself and my parents. But, as an upcoming graduate with a degree in public relations, the job market is slim for my desired job title. This puts added pressure on me to find a job to be able to support myself and be able to start paying off my student loans.
Hating my job
So ... if I wasn't already hyperventilating about having $25,000 in student loans that I have to pay back because of the horrible job market, I am now working as a server in a restaurant seven days a week. Okay, so maybe I am not working in the service industry full time, but in actuality, I am terrified that I am going to end up with a job that I don't want, or that I just hate. I want my career to begin on a high note, and not at some run-of-the-mill Belk Associate job.
Moving to a new city
I have really, really loved these last four years in Tuscaloosa. I have made lifelong friends, and memories that I will carry for the rest of my life. This city was my safe place. It became home to me, and it was something I couldn't wait to get back to during summer, or winter breaks. With the opportunity to relocate after graduation I have become extremely anxious about moving somewhere different. I want to live in a city where I can see my career blossom, yet I am somehow unable to escape my comfort zone of Tuscaloosa. It can be terribly troublesome for me at times.
Not finding love
This could possibly be the most irrational fear after graduation, but whatever ... who cares! I am constantly anxious that I am not going to find the love of my life, even after I move to a different city and find a different social circle. I am most nervous about the dating scenes in whatever city I end up calling "home," because of how familiar I am with the ones here in T-Town. I have feared being unloveable for quite some time, and I hope this is not the case for me. I pray that God has my best friend and the love of my life out there somewhere (hopefully freaking close).
Overall, there are a thousand things that I could list that I am anxious about after May 7. But, at the end of the day, I have to continue to remind myself that this institution, these people and this place has not only prepared me, but equipped me to go out and make society a better place. It is my hope and my prayer that I can take all that I have learned during the last four years and apply it to my life and make this world a better place. Until then, I will continue to freak the hell out about what my future holds and hope that I do not send myself into cardiac arrest
