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What's Next?

A Recent Grad's Tale

By Christina BPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Picture this: You graduate high school in the top 10th percentile of your class. You get accepted into your top pick university and you go on to join clubs, get a work-study job, and join a Greek organization. Even become the president of it. You volunteer when you can each semester, and take as many classes as you can. You graduate with a degree that you believe will allow you to do great things in life—nay, better—you graduate with two degrees and a minor after four years of hard work in college with cum laude. What next?

For some, this scenario may be a reality. For others, it's not. But for everyone who has graduated college, the "what next?" question is something that hits you fast and hard.

If you're lucky, you will get accepted into a graduate program right away or you'll land a good job in your degree that pays well enough to afford loans and other things you may need. If you're like me, you'll be at a place in your life where everything you've worked so hard for was for nothing—at least nothing immediately.

The person in that scenario, that's my story. Currently, I am renting a house (for a very low price) from someone I had worked with/for during my undergrad years in the town that I graduated college from. I work two low paying jobs, have two cats and a dog, and a car. The town I'm in is small, so landing a great paying job without having to move far away to a big city is very difficult (trust me, I've been trying very hard). Even if I were to get hired somewhere in a city that would pay really well, not a lot of places allow for multiple pets, if they even allow pets at all. I've been applying to grad schools, but so far nothing has panned out. I barely make enough money to afford rent, utilities, gas for my car, food for my pets and myself, my internet bill, and various other necessities to live. I can't even afford any payments towards my loans. I've resorted to selling my things in hopes that I'll be able to scavenge enough to afford Christmas presents, but even that isn't working so well.

When things like this happen, sometimes it makes me wonder: What was it all for? Was it worth all of the hard work? What's next for me?

I'd imagine from reading other stories on here and countless others on other social media sites that many others are in situations similar to mine. This submission isn't going to tell you all how to change your lives, how to get rich fast, how to handle the stress, or anything of the sorts. I created this submission to say that you're not alone. I wish more than anything that life was fair and hard work paid off. It just seems like that's not the reality for so many people.

Even when life seems bleak and nothing that you'd planned is happening the way you'd thought, just remember that it's a challenge. In video games, when there are obstacles between you and the goal of the game, you do what you must to win the game. I've taken the approach similar to that. Whenever something gets me down, I dust myself off and approach it from a new way—but I can't do it alone, as nobody should ever have to. I rely on my friends, family, boyfriend, even my pets to be a shoulder to cry on and as my support system to get me back on my feet and pushing forward into an unknown tomorrow.

I used to get asked "what's next?" a lot when I was younger. What school are you going to? What are your plans for after graduation? What jobs are you pursuing? Where are you going to live?

Now when I get asked "what's next?" I tell them that I don't know. I know what I want to happen next. It's impossible to know for sure what's going to happen next, and that's okay. You don't need to have every detail of your plan happen right when you want it to, and sometimes plans change for the better. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the "what's next?" question. Take a deep breath, and take it one day at a time.

goals
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About the Creator

Christina B

There's a story deep inside all of us

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