After spending 17 years as a student I have found myself having a hard time adjusting to life in the “real” world. I’ve spent most of my life going to school and now that I have lost the identity of being a student I find myself not sure on what to do next. Going into college I had a plan. At the time I knew what I was aiming to do. But like many things in life, my plans did not go as I thought they would. I found myself in a major in which I didn’t know what I was going to do with and at the moment I still don’t what the next step I should take should be. Sometimes it feels like the world around us expects us to transition into this new life so easily and effortlessly. Taking a year off to them is understandable. But sometimes you don’t figure things out in a year. For me, I am approaching that year mark since I graduated from college and there is tremendous pressure for me to hurry up and decide on a career and start working on it. Truth be told, when you have no clue as to what career you want to follow it makes it difficult to take a leap into that next step. For me, I want to be sure that it’s something I want to do before I start doing what it takes to obtain the position that I want. I don’t want to start something I find myself regretting or hating what I’ve gotten myself with.
What I hate the most is that people make all these comments, but they don’t know what is going on in your mind. People keep asking me am I going back to school or what? The answer to that question is “yes,” I want to go back to school, but not yet. I’m at this turning point in my life where you don’t just go back to school not knowing what you are wanting to do. You have to have an interest, a plan, a desire to specialize in something. It is not a matter of whether or not I am going back to school for me; it is a matter of when and why. I wish people would be more understanding that I want to make the right decision for my life in choosing a career. I don’t just want to pick something because it sounds good.
With the way things currently are in the “real” world, everyone is fighting for jobs. Making it even more difficult for people like me, who have spent most of their lives as a student, and have no real work experience to stand out or get noticed for a job. Does my lack of work experience mean I’m not qualified, no. But I do think it puts us at a disadvantage. Sometimes I wonder what good does a college education do if it can’t even help you get a job in today’s economy. My biggest problem is that I went into a major that does not have a built in career. I have a degree in biological sciences and the career possibilities are endless. So narrowing things down has been tough.
What I really need is someone to talk this through with it or just some advice. Until I find some help, I will continue to try to figure out things on my own. Hopefully I get things figured out sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed.
