   As finals are creeping around the corner, so is the end of the academic year. This doesn’t mean you are one year older, but it does mean you are one more year closer to being done with college. While some people may not be done with school for a while, others may be heading towards the end of their journey as a student and are facing an identity crisis. We have all been taught that school is important and to generally head in the right direction in life, we have to get an education. So what exactly is next in life after being educated and who exactly are you without teachers, professors, homework, and finals?
   After learning to walk, talk, poop, and pee, we are all aware that the next milestone in life is entering preschool. After preschool you move on to elementary school, then middle school, then high school, and then college. Some people’s college experience may be longer or shorter, but a general idea is about 18 years of school. To put this into perspective, you are in school for as long as it takes for you to become a legal adult in the United States. We are trained to listen to professors and teachers, constantly be learning, and doing every possible extracurricular in order to build our resume. After graduating, it can be overwhelming not having a guide and knowing your next four years aren’t planned for you.Â
   Once you graduate and school is no longer in the picture, you are practically thrown into the real world. What’s funny is that I thought graduating high school was stressful and would be an eye opening experience, and while it was, it’s nothing compared to the idea that I no longer need school. We tend to rely on the idea that school will always be there, and while you can always go back and learn something new, at some point we need to be making money using our knowledge rather than spending it on something that makes us comfortable. While graduating is stressful with the financial burden that comes with a short six month grace period and the frustration of not having a job offer right out of college, it is still a whole new learning experience beyond what any school could offer.
   Entering into my junior year of college, I have begun to think about who I am beyond school. For example, I thought about what talents I started off with that school just gave me the knowledge to make me better. It’s important to remember that while we may not have professors or teachers giving us direction and instruction, there will always be someone to help and guide you into a job. A job has bosses and opportunities that you will learn and gain knowledge from just as you would in school. While you may be more alone in the sense that you don’t have other classmates, you will have coworkers and you will learn to rely on yourself more than anyone. Even if you don’t have a job right out of college, there are people going through the same thing. This just means that you have to work hard to make these opportunities happen for yourself, just as you have had to do your whole life.
   Ending your journey as a student is absolutely frightening, but in reality you will always be a student constantly learning about yourself and life itself. Graduating is an accomplishment and obstacle that you have to overcome and eventually find yourself exactly where you’re meant to be. It’s significant to acknowledge that graduating isn’t a bad thing. You made it after 18 years of hard work and now it’s time to reward yourself with opportunities you have been dreaming of your whole life.Â