If you’re in your fourth year, or graduating year, like myself, then you have heard the echoing and terrifying knocks of the real world at your door. Right now, the semester is nearing its end, and the work is really piling up. Stress is at an all-time high, my previously clear skin is… no longer so clear, and my body is constantly debating between fight (work) or flight (Netflix? Nap? Shower? Eat? I miss these luxuries).
This isn’t your average end-of-semester stress where exams are looming – after all the essays and presentations and exams are over, there’s the real world. The concept of a summer job seems incomprehensible, because, well, summer breaks are a thing of the past for us upcoming graduates.
This is a lot to deal with. We’re trying our hardest to do just that: deal with it – and for some, that can mean sending out resumes or networking with alumni. But for most of us, it means focusing on right now: this lecture, that essay, this 14th cup of coffee. These last few weeks of the semester are about survival, because there’s so much to do, and so little time.
When people hear I’m in fourth year, they love to remind me that my time at Queen’s is almost over.
“Wow! Ready for the real world?”
“Have any jobs lined up?”
“Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted!”
This is not helpful. Please kindly shut up. I know all of this, you’re really not helping – in fact, you’re stressing me out more. You’re only reminding me how little time I have to do so much: finish assignments, write essays, sell furniture, pack up my apartment, and find a job. Take one look at my face and you can see just how stressed I am: makeup-less, breaking out, bags under my eyes, and a look in my eyes that’s a strange combination of “help me” and “stay out of my way”. You probably mean well, and I love that you’re trying to say something that would normally be exciting, but in reality, I’m in survival mode and I would really like you to stop telling me it’s almost over.