I saw this episode of True Life where people shared how much they hate their natural born butts. The episode focused on them changing the way their butts physically looked and all I could think was, “Are you kidding me?” Everyone has something that they don’t like about their bodies so to me, this episode was a little weird and trivial to say the least. So I started thinking what my episode of MTV’s True Life would look like.
For some people, graduating is one of the biggest moments in their life, but I am terrified. I am a Junior in college and I am dreading walking across that stage on graduation day. I am scared I won’t find a job in my field of study. I am scared of all the bills I will have to pay and I am scared that all my friends will be doing well in life while I sit at home Netflix and chilling–alone.
I think college has consisted of some of the best days of my life. I don’t live with my parents, I’ve met some of my closest friends, I go to parties, join organizations and have freedom. But let’s be real. We are all in college pursuing an education in hopes that we will find a career when we are done with school. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Instead, graduates are working at fast food restaurants or stuck bartending and I don’t want that to be me.
When I graduate college I want to be a 21-year old young woman who has life all figured out. I want to work at a PR firm making at least six figures, have my own one-bedroom apartment in Texas that is decorated perfectly and waiting for me to come home as I travel everywhere. But, hello, reality check! That rarely ever happens unless life is handed to you on a silver platter with gold rhinestones. And I don’t think I’m ready for the in betweens of getting there.
My friend is a recent graduate and she currently has an unpaid internship. She told me she is afraid of the amount of time it would take to start her career and make enough money to fully support her daughter. I may not have a daughter to take care of, but the operative word is unpaid because I am unsure of what my source of income will be and that frightens me; especially when student loan payments kick in immediately after graduation and my parents are no longer paying my cell phone bill and my car insurance. On the other hand, she also said that graduating has been very beneficial because now she is able to apply for certain careers that she would not have been eligible for had she not made such a huge step in her life.
Being in college has really helped me to find myself, but it has also put a lot of things about the real world into perspective for me and the truth of the matter is, I am not sure I’m ready for it. I know that the day is approaching soon, but it is a scary feeling that I’m sure many other students can attest to as well. In college, I have been able to stay in this middle area where I get to party every weekend without being judged, I get to rely on my parents and I get to live a somewhat carefree life with limited responsibilities which ultimately has to change upon graduating. I will have to really be an adult. But at the end of the day, I know that I can’t stay in college forever so I will have to put my big girl panties on and face all my fears. Goodbye college, hello real world.