The minute you tell people you’re graduating, the questions come flying in.
“What’s next?”
“Where are you working after this?”
“What’s your five-year plan?”
Everyone expects you to have an answer — a polished, impressive one to boot. At first, I thought I did. I had an internship lined up, I almost had a degree in my hands, and I figured that everything would fall into place somewhere along the way.
Long story short, it didn’t. And honestly? I’m glad.
As much as graduation is a milestone worth celebrating, it’s also a moment that magnifies the pressure to have your whole future mapped out before you’ve even turned 23 years old.
Internships become less about learning and more about landing a full-time offer. Conversations with friends and family start to sound like mini interviews. The underlying message is clear: you should already know what you’re doing with the rest of your life.
When my internship ended without a job offer, I felt that familiar wave of panic rise up. Had I failed? Had I wasted my time? However, the more I reflected on the experience, the more I realized that the internship showed me what I don’t want. It helped me understand that the kind of journalism I want to pursue looks different from what I thought — and that’s not a failure at all. It’s growth and critical thinking.
We’re taught to fear uncertainty, but what if taking time to figure things out is actually the best thing we can do for ourselves? Rushing into a new city, adulthood, or a career path just because we feel pressured to “have it all together” doesn’t guarantee happiness — it often ends in burnout and regret.
Our early 20s aren’t supposed to be about having all the answers. They’re about asking better questions. They’re about trying, learning, pivoting, and sometimes starting from scratch when life doesn’t go how you thought it would. Being young is about collecting experiences — even the ones that don’t lead you exactly where you thought they would.
It’s easy to look around and feel like everyone else has it figured out. I don’t know about you, but scrolling LinkedIn always gives me a near heart attack. Yet, the truth is, most of us are figuring it out as we go. Some people post job updates on LinkedIn while quietly questioning if they made the right choice. Others don’t post at all because they’re still exploring, still searching, still becoming. Both paths are valid.
So, if you’re staring down graduation without a picture-perfect plan, if you’re leaving an internship unsure of what’s next, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the finality of finishing undergrad, take a breather, because things just have a way of working out.
Volunteer at a library, find a cheap flight ticket to one of your bucket list destinations, learn how to make a croquembouche, be a freelancer, run a marathon, teach a language, start a side hustle, shoot on film, go to grad school, build a personal website, network, be your own boss and start a business — take a nap! It’s a common saying, but the possibilities truly are endless.
You’re not behind. You’re not failing. You’re just taking your time. And trust me: that’s something to be proud of.
Good things take time. So do we.