When I graduated college, I decided I wanted to spend a year losing myself. Since high school I secretly dreamed of being a dirt poor writer in New York City, living off of Cheerios and Ramen and working on “the next big thing.” Cliched as that dream may be, the real root of it was the idea of losing myself. No five-year plan, no defined career path, no commitments or obligations. Sneer at the idea of a typical millennial wanting to find her “spirit animal” or being a little selfish, but it’s how I felt. I had been on this strict path since the day I entered first grade, and I felt stifled. I was in cruise control through a good part of my senior year. Life seemed dull, and it showed. It showed in the way I talked to people, in what I did in my free time (a lot of TV…), in what I prioritized and what I didn’t. Heck it even showed in my seemingly perpetual weight gain.
So, I wanted to lose myself, but I needed to still pay the bills on time (that six month grace period for loans is a lot shorter than you think). What to do? To keep the story short, I took a job offer to teach in Jeollabukdo, South Korea. The actual story is incredibly long with a lot of pros and cons, but ultimately I saw it as my way of getting out in the world again. After a summer in Seoul and a semester studying in Madrid and traveling Europe, I needed to get back out there. Korea would pay more than enough for me to be comfortable and pay the bills, and it was somewhere I was eager to return to. I told my recruiting agency that while Seoul was nice, I actually wanted to be put somewhere in the countryside. Here I am, almost three months later, glad I chose to do what I did.
While I recognize the need to explore after graduation is not for everyone, and some people knew what they wanted and are doing awesome things right now, I knew it was something I needed to do. I needed to evaluate what I truly wanted out of life, not what society dictates, not what my family or friends want, not what I thought I should want.
College is incredible, and WC allowed me to realize how big this world is and how all lives are different, but it is, ultimately a giant bubble. People become revolved around their majors, especially by senior year, nights are spent more in the library than anywhere else, and discussions are more about whatever’s going in class or complaining about our work load. We’re so busy trying to graduate the best we can, that it’s hard to see anything else. This is why it’s important to jerk yourself out of this bubble immediately after leaving college, or else you’re going to be stuck in that same mindset for a long time, and that’s how you lose your twenties.
So I gave myself permission to take a year to not plan. If you find yourself in cruise control by the end of senior year, you’ve got to let yourself explore right after you graduate. Break up with bad relationships, forgive yourself for things you’ve said or done, finally quit bad habits, and explore however you think will benefit you the most. For me that was moving out of the country and forcing myself to stop planning for the future. It’s going to be different for everyone. Just know graduating from WC is the end of a chapter, and entering young adulthood is the beginning of a new one. Don’t worry, it’s not as terrifying as it sounds. You will always be a part of the WC Alumni community, and that community is forever tight knit. While you’re out there exploring, discovering, and growing, you will always have this wonderful, diverse, and ever growing group to turn to throughout all your experiences.
The Share 