College is considered “life’s last playground” for obvious reasons. When in your life do you see yourself having the time (or the energy) and most importantly the lack of responsibility to go out on a Thursday night and dedicate the rest of a normal work day to finishing the 6 page research paper you rejected for the majority of the quarter? For a lot of people, your role as a college student is to pass the classes you need, so you can get the job that you want.
Once senior year rears its ugly head, we start to put our self worth into our ability to get jobs and internships that match perfectly with what we’ve been saying we’ve been doing since we were 18. “Traditionally,” students are 21 or 22 graduating college and expected to have the experience, the knowledge and the ability to get a salary, benefits and a 401k like their 30+ counterparts. Maybe this is a “millennial mindset” but you have the rest of your life to contribute to your 401k and make upwards of $30,000 a year.
College is an amazing opportunity to find yourself, develop your professional skill set and grow more as an individual. Immersing yourself in the corporate world, or whatever field it is that you are pursuing doesn’t always have to be your direct route after graduation! Your education, your money and your time are not wasted by taking a moment to enjoy being in your 20s, travel, get a restaurant job, an internship, or what have you.
Going off and doing what makes you happy is why we decided to get an education. Everyone’s dream job shows up at a different pace and it isn’t always what we expect it to be. Enjoy your accomplishments, because graduating is a huge one, and take advantage of every opportunity you have, even if it doesn’t look the same as someone else’s.