Ever since the day you received that acceptance letter from the university of your dreams, you have been bombarded with this very question: What are you going to do after graduation? Or my other personal favorite: What are you going to do with your major? These questions instantly place pressure on you to succeed... but what kind of success is this?
We as Americans live in a society where success is measured by one's salary and the title of one's career. This outlook is a very strong driving force that influences many significant life decisions, such as choosing a major. I know for certain that the American point of view on success swayed me to initially become a nursing major. Not because I was fascinated with the human body or because I adored the thought of drawing blood, but because it was safe. I knew that if I chose this path, it would lead me to a life of financial stability and that there would always be a need for my kind of work. Boring, right?
Once I went to college and was no longer surrounded by people of that same mindset, my mind became free. and I began to form my own thoughts and perceptions of the world. During this time of transformation, I realized how much life we waste by living for the 'future.' It all begins in high school, where we make good grades so that we can get into a good college, so that we can get a good paying job, so that we can send our kids to college, and finally so we can retire comfortably in suburbia. During all of this planning for the future, when do we stop trying to make a living and just live?
The only way to stop this vicious cycle is to simply stop, breathe, and live for now. So stop planning and start feeling. Let go of that ridiculous need to control your life because if there is one thing I know for certain, its’ that we have absolutely no control over what happens in this chaotic universe. However, I’m not saying we shouldn’t have goals. No, goals are great! What I’m getting at is that we shouldn’t be taking the “safe route” in life, which would promise money and comfort.
Who wants to look back on their deathbed and say, “Well I never got around to following my dreams, but at least I had enough money to get by.” Boo. That guy is missing the point. Life isn’t about getting by, it’s about growing, exploring, and finding out who you are. We were all given a fire - you know, that burning passion for something you absolutely love? Don’t let that fire burn out. Discover it, tend to it, and watch, as you grow and become the being you were meant to be.
And NEVER think that it's too late - even if you are a Senior stuck in a major that no longer feels right or a 40-year-old accountant that cringes at the sight of numbers. Please read and savor these words from the great F. Scott Fitzgerald: "For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."
So, what is my answer to "what are you going to do after graduation?'" I have no idea, but what I do know is that I cannot follow a recipe for my life. I should not be limited to that. My plan is to treat this life like a canvas, gracefully taking shape with each brush stroke. There are no limits, no requirements, and no standards. My greatest goal is to simply make it as beautiful as can be and to share this art with others - and I hope you do too.
