If you're a recent college grad (or will be graduating this Spring), you may be feeling overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to do next. Some of you may be going to grad school (or thinking about going), while some of you may be already looking for full-time jobs in your field. Some may have an easy time finding those jobs. Others may not get them right away.
Some of you may even be worrying about where you’re going to live and how you’re going to afford a place that isn’t home, or how you're going to pay off your school loans. It’s okay to not have any of this figured out yet. Sure, it’s a little unsettling not knowing when or how long it will take to get a full-time job within your field but it’s okay. Not everyone has their whole life figured out by the age of 22.
Look at Walt Disney. He wasn't a fresh out of college student who opened one of the best animation studios in the world. He didn't graduate from college and know right away that he wanted to make a theme park for everyone of any age. These all came to him later in life. He took a lot of jobs that didn't pan out. But they all made him a better person, a better animator and even more driven to get to the point of creating Mickey and eventually leading to the creation of Disneyland.
JK Rowling also had to work towards what she is today. It didn't happen to her overnight. She was on welfare, in an abusive relationship in her twenties. Once she got out and started writing, she was turned down by nearly every publishing house she submitted her work to. But she never gave up. And now...now Harry Potter is the most recognized name around the world. A series spanning seven books, eight movies, three theme parks.
Paying off school loans is the worst nightmare of many if not all college students. Some get lucky and don't have to take out loans to have to pay for school. They either were able to get full rides for sports or they had amazing grades. Some may even come from families where they are able to pay for their schooling right out. But don't let the loans keep you from living your dream. There is a reason you choose your major, the school you went to. It all means something and right now it may seem like it's a dead end and that there is little to no way out of it.
But there is.
You just have to keep swimming. Keeping fighting and working towards that dream and never let it die. Keep working those few part-time jobs you've been able to find. Work hard but don't forget to live. You never know what new paths will open to you or how your dreams may change. It may seem like forever but it's not. It will get better.
Greatness comes to those who work hard and wait for it. And we all have greatness within us.
