"Then what?" Two seemingly harmless words. Yet, they have become my least favorite of the English language. I have come to loathe them. Coming from an English major, that's hard to say. As a college senior, on the verge of graduation they are very scary words.
Graduation is quickly approaching. May will be here much sooner than I want it to be. That cap and gown is in sight, no longer a vague idea on the horizon. I am anxious. More than anxious. I am on the verge of a full on breakdown. This sub-society where the responsibilities are barely there and friends are always there has been my entire life for the past four years.
In May, that all ends. Hours in the library, living in the same house as some of my best friends, and random Tuesday nights out will be a thing of the past. Job-hunting, bills, and real responsibilities will take their place. It is terrifying.
Right now, I don't want it to end. These years have been stressful, sometimes dramatic, but always fun. Way more fun than the simple thought of life after I turn that tassel to the other side of my cap. As a senior in college, I get the same question every. Single. Time. I speak to someone: Graduation in May. Then what?
I. Don't. Know. Hopefully a job. Ideally a job in the field of my choice, but I am not about to get picky. As a first semester senior, I just don't know. It is scary. Every conversation I have about the future, I am reminded of how uncertain it is.
I am not alone. Every college student has this huge fear of what comes next. One minute it is acceptable to eat pizza at 2 AM; the next you're wearing business attire and worrying about rent.
Everything is up in the air right now: where am I going to live? Where am I going to work? Will I even get a job? Will I even graduate on time? These questions are on a constant loop in my brain. I ask myself them all the time.
So, here is my advice: when you are taking to a college senior, one who is juggling work, classes, and the anxieties that accompany that scary world outside of school, do not ask what is next. For most of us, we have not a single clue. Your questions about it only makes that fact more solid. Plus there is that awkward lull in the conversation following that question and our inadequate answer. You try to offer some words of comfort and we brush them off because we have heard them all before.
Just don't ask. Change the question around, maybe how is your last year going? Or Are you excited for graduation? Anything, but a reminder of the uncertainty outside of the college world. This will be beneficial for you and everyone
