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C of C | Life

What’s After College

Ayanna Burgess Student Contributor, College of Charleston
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C of C chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

My time in college is steadily coming to an end which got me thinking about what comes next? Society has placed a plan in people’s heads on how to navigate life, but in all honesty, I am not sure what’s next. I have a lot of passions yet it feels as if I have so little time. Apart of me feels that this is a slight pre-midlife, but not a mid-life crisis. Although I know that I will have great opportunities presented my way, I still can’t help but think about what does the future outside of college even looks like? And recently with my obsessiveness on TikTok, this question and response have appeared a lot.

What is life like after school? For sixteen years all I have known is school. Yes, I have taken up jobs and internships here and there, but they have never been a career-like atmosphere. With all this in mind, it gets me thinking, what is a future like outside of the realm of academics? The only answer I could come up with is I do not know yet, especially as a person who still has countless dreams and things they want to accomplish. 

On one hand, I am ready for that next big step but on the other hand, bills are intimidating for me. I do not like paying for my apple and Spotify subscriptions now so I can only imagine a car note. Although I am at this odd crossroads, I am excited about the journey after college. My life has been consumed by grades and academic activities- I feel like graduating gives me another fresh start. A start that goes beyond typing paper and studying for the big biology test. 

Even though I am still figuring it out, I am glad that I do not have a structured planned-out life for my future after college. Although some would say that irresponsible, the way I look at it is, where the wind takes me that’s where I am meant to be at the moment. All of this is just to say the next chapter in my life is going to be great.

Ayanna Burgess is a junior at the College of Charleston, pursuing a degree in Communication. A native of South Carolina, Ayanna enjoys finding the best restaurants in town, browsing around local record shops, and writing poetry.