Going into my last year of college, I expected it to be the same as every year. Time flying by, but in the same breath, wishing for more hours in a day. Every year has been a whirlwind of studying and working for what felt like forever… and ever. But now, as I’m looking at the cap and gown hanging in my closet, the finish line to my hard work has become tangible. And I can finally see, not only how much has changed in my life, but how much is going to change after graduating. I’m so sad and scared to move into a new chapter of my life, but I’m also thrilled for all the doors opening in front of me. And now, I get to decide which ones I walk into.Â
As I get closer to the finish line, I can see the successes of my labor coming into view. I’ve worked in customer service for as long as I can remember. It was grueling. I was miserable, always busy working yet somehow always broke. My jobs were a constant reminder of why I needed to make it through school. And finally this semester I accepted an offer as an intern. And don’t get me wrong, doing school and my internship was also grueling, often feeling similar to working two jobs. But my hard work was incredibly rewarding, not only giving me a chance to gain real-life experience, but now, a full-time job.Â
Graduating from college with a new love of writing and a full-time job has opened my eyes to new possibilities. The most obvious is, of course, financial freedom. I am about to receive my first “big girl” paycheck, and while I still have a ways to go to being well off, I cannot fathom that it’s about to be my regular paycheck. And as much as I would love to live lavishly, my goal is to achieve financial freedom. By continuing my lifestyle as a broke college student after graduation, I am hoping to have a paid-off car before 24, and zero student loans by ’26 or ’27. I’m really over living like a broke college kid already, so it’s going to be a challenge, but I know in the future I will be so grateful for my hard work to hopefully get me closer to owning a home.
Another goal of mine is to explore my writing skills more. In my senior year, it was my goal to get more involved on campus and find a hobby. So I joined Her Campus and developed a love for writing. It’s different than writing for school, where I followed a prompt, but now instead I can write creatively and about whatever I want. It helped me not only realize that I love writing, but that I’ve always loved writing, making little stories as far back as elementary school. But now that I’m about to have some actual free time on my hands, I really want to get more into it. I want to find my style and learn what I enjoy writing about and then develop my skills to hopefully make some really great stories.
The last thing I’m hoping to achieve after graduation is getting my master’s degree. Passing my classes and graduating has given me such pride and confidence in myself and I want to push myself further. I think that pursuing my master’s will not only keep me motivated, but it will also open up more opportunities that a standard bachelor’s degree otherwise wouldn’t. I’m not sure yet what I want to study, but right now, with the rise in AI, I know a master’s in AI would allow me into a coveted job market. Because of my work as a data analyst and my heavy reliance on coding, I’m also considering computer science. This would open almost as many doors for me as AI due to the rise in technology in business. Whatever direction I choose, I know it’s going to be a stressful and trying journey, but I also know the sense of pride I have in myself will double if I am able to achieve a master’s degree.
I don’t know what my future will hold, but I know that the skills I’ve learned up until this point will be invaluable in helping me move forward. Graduating high school, I felt like the whole world opened up for me, and I thought graduating college would feel like the end of that. But instead, I realize that now, I truly do have a world of opportunities in front of me, in an even more intense way than high school. I am so excited to see what opportunities my bachelor’s degree opens for me and which ones I choose to seize.
