This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bucknell chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Dear Abby,
I’m a second-semester senior, and everyone around me seems to have a plan for school or a job, and as each day passes my anxiety that I will graduate totally lost seems inevitable. Help!
From,
Living in a Box After Graduation
Dear Living in a Box After Graduation,
Relax! I’m in the same boat, as are the thousands of other people who are going to graduate with us. Some people have known they were going to be doctors since they were 12, and good for them, but I’ve never been that way and I don’t think you need to feel bad about being that way either. I’m not knocking anybody who has always had a set plan, or have come up with one, because I think that’s wonderful, but you don’t need to feel freaked out that you don’t. They’re the exception, not the rule. You might be surrounded by friends who have it completely together and color-code their planners, but for every one of them I can count twenty off the top of my head who are totally clueless.
Also, don’t take the whole “I have a plan!” thing too seriously, because, let’s face it; half the people who have “a plan” just have one because they’re terrified of not having one. You’re brave in that you’re willing to take the time to figure out what you actually want to do, and not just decide on going to grad school or law school because you’re scared of not having a definite next step. Trust me, for however many people who are going to more school, half of them are going to figure out about a year and tens of thousands of dollars too late that they don’t want to be where they are. It’s better to take the time to think about what you really want, and not jump into any decisions.
You’re not alone, trust me. I know it’s hard, but enjoy what’s left of your senior year! You will regret any time you spend wasting away in a ball of stress about the future. I’m not saying don’t try and figure it out or apply to jobs, but don’t stake all of your worth and happiness in it. Let’s face reality: the economy sucks, and it’s going to be hard for all of us to find any job, let alone a job we actually want to be doing. Depending on the industry you’re trying to break into, many people don’t actually have jobs until after they graduate because companies don’t even start hiring until March or April, like in communications. Do what you can in the time you have, take advantage of all the resources that your school has to offer, and if you’re finding that you are still having major anxiety, talk to somebody about it. I know that I always feel better once I talk about what’s stressing me out.
Good luck!
Abby
Source: http://hot100tips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/5-Surprising-Ways-Stres…