For the past three years, college for me has been a haven. I have been blessed with being able to focus on my studies and not hold a part-time job during the full school year. However I do have a seasonal job, internships through the school year, and positions in extracurricular clubs. Even though I have felt that college has benefitted me immensely, I still do not feel ready to join the “real world” just yet. With one year left, the clock is literally counting down the time I have until I graduate. Each passing minute is a reminder to stay focused and work harder than ever. Why does the end seem so daunting now?

For starters, college degrees do not come with a career guarantee, but this does not scare me. As an English major, I know I have my work cut out for me to find a career, and I have accepted that. I look forward to that challenge, because I am ready to stop working part-time and find somewhere I would enjoy working for years to come. Doing adult things such as scheduling my own doctor’s appointments and remembering to get my oil changed in my car is not what scares me, either. The main reason I am not ready to face the real world is because I do not know what will be required of me from this point forward.

Once I have that degree in my hand, there is no more structure of semesters of classes, no one handing me grades to help determine my effectiveness at certain skills, and no more excuses for not submitting work on time. Careers demand individual thinking, progressive attitudes, and marketability. There is no grading scale; employers see information that leads to a pass or fail, with your job on the line. There is no more redo options for the most part. With that degree comes a signal that you have been educated enough to fend for yourself and contribute to society.

I am not ready to graduate college and face the real world because I do not know the kind of person that this world needs me to be. For all of my life, I have been taught curriculums and facts; I am a person created to be the best benefit for society that I can be. But how do I know that I will be effective in any given career or city? With the modern world fluidly advancing in technology and structure, I feel ill-prepared to determine a path for myself. I have been given the tools and given all the instructions, but utilizing them is an entirely different matter.

Nevertheless, I must trust that this system of education has prepared billions of students before me, and I will be prepared when my time comes to be the college graduate ready to take on the world. I am confident that college has benefitted me and prepared me effectively, or it would not be so vital on a resume. Once I cross that stage with my diploma in hand, I hope to know that I possess all that is necessary to be the best adult in the real world that I can be.