With graduation approaching quicker than many of us can prepare for, it becomes a bit overwhelming to wrap your head around. This marks a huge transition in our professional and personal life that most of us aren’t ready for, so how should we deal with it? By now, you’re probably on LinkedIn day in and day out, trying to find a job immediately after school. Viewing plenty of jobs that require the experience you don’t have, or trying to pay you in monopoly money as if you don’t have real-life expenses, is frustrating. Eventually, you come to a panic and apply for just about anything you can get so you can be perceived as a real” adult”. First of all... please Stop.
As someone who was in a similar boat, I had begun panicking to find any job that would pay my bills, regardless if I was interested in it or not. Close friends and classmates have begun to receive offers left and right, while I was still trying to get a small part-time position in a job I didn’t care for. I began to sink into a sad state, and then got honest with myself. “Why am I comparing myself to everyone else, and trying to get to something I’m not interested in?” After some serious soul searching, I came to the conclusion of being okay with not having the same concrete plan as my classmates.
Being a college graduate doesn’t mean that you have to have your whole life plan laid out by the time you walk across the stage. Though you might feel pressure to jump into your professional chapter, don’t just rush into anything. You have spent years preparing for where life may take you, so regardless if you think you’re not prepared, you are. Be okay with not having the “typical” plan after graduation, and develop your own path. You have a plan, just trust the process.