As I approach my graduation on May 13, I’ve come to realize that college has gone by pretty quick. It feels like just yesterday I came to Nacogdoches with entirely too much stuff and crammed it all into my tiny half of a dorm to live on my own for the first time. From there I joined (and eventually quit) a sorority, made (and lost) several friends, and even found the love of my life and moved into an apartment with her – oh, not to mention I found myself and came out as gay.
I’ve learned a lot in my few years at SFA in terms of academic knowledge, but I’ve also learned a ton about myself and how I’m not exactly sure what I want to do from here. Yes, in week I will have a Bachelor’s Degree in English. No, I do not have a job lined up currently that will utilize this degree in any way, shape, or form. So where do I go from here, and how exactly will I pay my bills? Ah, I’m glad you asked.
I don’t know.
Yes, you read that correctly. I have literally no idea.
I’m 21 years old and I have a degree, sure, but I’m also 21 years old with little to no real work experience and no clue what I want to go into. And you know what? I think not knowing is honestly okay.
It’s okay to not know what you want to do when you’re barely entering your twenties and still aren’t even sure who you are completely. It’s okay to change your mind. It’s okay to make yourself happy and not settle for some mid-numbingly boring job that you’ll come to despise. So that’s what I’m doing.
Right now, I’ve got a great job at a retail store and I plan to do some freelance writing and editing on the side and honestly, to just enjoy the new free time I’m about to have. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, I know I want to be a professor. I love talking to people and teaching them relevant, interesting things, but do I want to be an English professor? I’m not entirely sure. Hence why I’m enjoying the next semester or two off to figure myself out, and why if you’re not sure of what you want to do post-grad, I recommend you do too (situation willing of course).
It’s important to take time and figure yourself out, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. If you don’t know what you’re going to do post-grad, don’t stress too much about it. Figure out a way to get your bills paid and survive that you don’t completely hate and give yourself some time to do you. At the end of the day, as long as you make yourself happy, that’s what matters. It’s just like Kevin Hart once said…