I Got My Degree Now What ?

The first question everyone asks when you graduate from school is, “what are you going to do now?” ” Are you going to work in your field?”
” Are you going back?”

The question may seem simple, but honestly, it’s one of the most annoying questions that you can ask a graduate.

First off everyone is asking that same question. & on top of that graduating college is so overwhelming that you literally do not know what you are going to do.

You just devoted years of your life to school and now that it is over, what do you do?

You base your whole life around school. Your entire schedule is adjusted around a school, From the hours you work down to the time you wake up and go to sleep.

So when people ask you, what are you going to do?

You’re like damn what am I going to do? I’m lost as shit I don’t know
You start to question yourself

Do you relax after killing yourself for 4 + years?
Do you immediately look for a job in your field?
Who am I without school?
I have free time for once what do I do?
What am I going to do about these student loans?

What everyone assumes!

People assume ” he/she is a college graduate I’m sure they have everything figured out.”
Umm NO! That’s the worse thing to assume.

People think the hardest part is getting the degree, but to be honest getting a job may actually be harder than the school itself.

You are not guaranteed a job when you graduate I wish people would get that out their head.

Keep in mind that there are so many college graduates walking across the stage at the same time as you.

There are thousands of graduates searching for jobs and they are only hundreds of slots open. I’m not saying this to discourage anyone, you should always remain positive and get yourself out there. This is more so targeted at the people who look at you like you’re crazy for not having a career job with a college degree.

You have so much running through your head its hard even to figure out what to focus on. You may become stressed & depressed.
It may sound crazy how can you become depressed after achieving your goals?

How I felt before I graduated VS. how I felt after.

When I started the first semester of my last year, I was so happy. I could not wait to graduate; I thought I had the best plan in the world. When I graduated I wanted to cry, and I was actually sad my graduation day.

I was experiencing separation anxiety I waited this moment for this day, and it’s here, and I don’t want it to end.
I’m going to miss my professors and my colleagues.

It took me my last year for me to discover that I had lost the love for my field. I went to school to be a paralegal at Brookdale Community College. I took a year off to apply for jobs, and everyone told me to go back and get a BA to earn more money and higher my chances to become a lawyer. At the time it sounds like a great thing to do. I was always very persuasive and can hold a good debate. I planned to be a paralegal and work my way up to a lawyer. I was told the only way to earn a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies is to major in liberal arts. So when I went to Rutgers, that’s what I did. As time went on, I was so bored with it.

One of my biggest struggles.

I realized that I have too much personality to sit in an office all day and research look at cases all day.

Little to no interaction with people, and when I did my intern I was practically falling asleep at the desk.

My family and friends were so happy for me. I was delighted, but in my head, I was thinking ” damn only if they knew I do not even want to work in my field.

People always ask me did I waste my time going to college.

It may seem that way from this post, but no I actually loved the experience. I think what made it hard is that I allowed my family to influence my primary. In the beginning, of my academics, I lost myself trying to be what everyone wanted me to be, but towards the end I found myself. I discovered what truly inspired me and my real passions.

So Arteria, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

So to answer your question. I DON’T KNOW YET !!   BUT,  I will figure it out soon, and whatever I do at least I know will be happy and passionate. I will find something that doesn’t just pay me but brings joy into my life.

I will share how my major helped me find myself in more detail in my next post so stay tuned and subscribe. 💕