There are so many things no one wants to talk about when it comes to life after graduation. Everyone wants to act like everything is all rainbows and butterflies once you walk across that stage and are handed that piece of paper. For some people that may be the case but for a lot of people it is not. We all understand life will not always be smooth sailing but it can be extremely difficult and discouraging when it seems like you are the only one going through it. We need to start talking about our struggles because our obstacles may help other people who are feeling the same way feel less alone.
For many of us we are told school is the way out. School is how to get a good job. Education is how you increase your income. Everything is dependent on your level of education and success. We spend our lives putting all our time and energy into achieving academic excellence in high school and college. Our academics become an inseparable part of who we are. When you put so much time and effort into something it becomes tangled in the web of who you are and is difficult to separate.
School teaches us a lot in the technical areas like math, science, history, etc. I am a huge advocate for education. I believe in life long learning so continuing my education has never been a question for me. I have always pushed myself to be the best that I can be inside and outside of my academics. I have always been a positive, confident, and optimistic individual but the truth is that it has been a difficult transition for me. I wanted to talk about the insecurities and obstacles that I have been facing because I hope it helps someone else feel less alone.
I have always been told you need to excel in your academics in order to be successful. That statement really plays into my comfort zone because as an individual who loves to learn school is my safe place. I put everything I had into my education. I graduated summa cum laude with a 3.98 GPA. I was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta and Kappa Gamma Pi. I don’t say this to brag. I am saying this because by other peoples standards I should have all the confidence in the world about my next steps but that is not the case. Since graduation my safety blanket has been taken from me, which I always knew would happen but I was not prepared for the doubts I would feel about taking my next step.
Since graduation I have been trying to figure out what I want to do next. I have always had ideas of what my next step would be but now its time to take that step and I feel so much pressure to pick the perfect career path. I am extremely lucky because I have not been getting pressure from other people. In fact, I have received nothing but love and support from my family and friends. The pressure I have been feeling is from myself. My biggest fear is unfilled potential. I have been able to achieve a high level of success in my academics but I feel the need to improve and out do what I have done before. I want to prove to everyone who has always believed in me that their belief was not misplaced. For these reasons I struggle with taking that next step. I want to do what is best for me and excel but it is difficult when you are in your own head.
What has helped me stay positive and keep moving forward is that I have time. I am young and I have plenty of time to find my passions in life. It is okay to not have everything figured out. There is no way to plan for everything that will come in the future. It is okay to be nervous about taking that next step. It is okay to have insecurities. You do not have to put so much pressure on yourself to have everything figured out when you are trying your best.
Have you experienced any of these feelings after graduation? Do you know anyone who has just graduated that feels this way? How can we prevent people from having these doubts and insecurities? Let's talk about this in the comments.
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