If you’re anywhere near your college graduation, you know that you’re stuck in a life of limbo. Half of you wants to stay young forever, continuing to live out your days of mid-morning class, happy hour drinks, and late nights “doing homework” with your friends. The other half of you can’t wait to get out of your minimum wage job where you know you’re completely unappreciated and your potential is trying to claw its way out. You’re in the In-Between. So close to your dream career, yet so unbelievably far.
After all, there is just so much more you could do if you just didn’t have school in the way, right? But here’s the fact of the matter: you are still months away from graduation. You still have final papers and group projects in your planner that you have to cross off your list before you can walk across the stage, grab your diploma, and never look back. So how are you supposed to beat those in-between blues?
1. Remember that life isn’t a race.
I’m pretty sure we have all at one point thought about Jane Doe Smith, who had loads on her resume before she even graduated from high school. We think about all her accomplishments and find ourselves picking up our own pace, trying to sprint towards an imaginary finish line to try and catch up, but that’s the thing about the finish line. There isn’t one. When you get to graduation, you still have to sit in alphabetical order and walk across the stage only when it’s your turn. You’re not racing anyone. Slow down.
2. Realize that all good things take time, and they will come.
Sure, maybe Mark Zuckerberg was able to create the Facebook empire by the time he was only 21, but that doesn’t mean that he did it overnight. You might not be utilizing all your incredible skills at your job now, but that doesn’t mean you never will. You’ll get your diploma. You’ll get your dream job. It will come. Just wait for it.
3. Don’t forget about your friends.
You’ve spent the last couple of years or months being annoyed by these insanely lovable people you call your friends. They’re in the same boat as you, so you’re not alone. And if they’re in the same boat as you, it means they’re headed out soon too. Everyone has their own dream job or dream life, and chances are, your dreams aren’t taking all of you to the same place, so chill out! After graduation, life changes for everyone, and do you really want to spend your last few months with these people wishing you were gone?
The road is long for everyone, but the point is that the road is long. Getting your degree is a process. And getting that job is too. Take a few moments to have a pity party for one. Cry about how badly you’re ready to move on from school. Complain about how you just want to be a career man or woman already. Get upset about that one class you had to drop that you are currently retaking. And then stop. Pick yourself up and start beating those in-between blues… After all, you have group projects to get to.