I want to acknowledge that I am privileged to write and share this article on the stolen and unsurrendered territory of the Anishinabe Waki. As an individual who has benefited from the establishment of Canada as a state and its colonial governing regulations, education systems, and the continuous exploitation of Indigenous land, I recognize the importance and urgency of unlearning colonial practices and creating space for an Indigenous resurgence here on Turtle Island.
I have one semester left in my undergraduate degree and with this comes a lot of stress. I have final exams to worry about, like everyone else, but on top of all of that, I have to start worrying about my next steps. Since elementary school, the Canadian education system has been preparing me for my undergraduate degree. Preparing for the workforce, a master’s degree, starting a family, or whatever my next step might be was never something that I had to think about until now.
Here are the three steps I took to help me discover what I wanted to do after my convocation.
1) Make a list
The first step that I took is the one I always take when faced with a problem… I made a list of all of the possibilities that I could think of (I’ve coined myself something of a list-making queen in my life—every time I need to solve a problem I make a list). This list will look a lot different for me than it will for you.
My list consisted of three paths my life could take. The first thing I could do is use my undergraduate degree and get a remote job in editing or writing for a company and write a large piece of fiction that I would then try to publish—whether that be a book, screenplay, or short story collection. Writing has been something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time but never seem to have the time for.
The next option on my list was to apply for a master’s degree in English literature, staying on the same path that I am on now—in school until my next step presents itself to me.
The last thing on my list was to move back to my hometown, get a manual labour job on one of the farms near my home, and make a life for myself out in the country.
2. Determine the pros and cons
The second step towards figuring out my next step was taking this list and—you guessed it!—I made another list! I made a pro/con list for each option.
After having to do online schooling through the pandemic thanks to COVID-19, I am incredibly averse to working online. While it would be the best option for me to get a remote job if I’m planning on writing a large piece of fiction, I inevitably decided that it would not be great for my mental health to follow that path next year. Maybe at some other point in my life, this will become desirable. But for now, I’ll scratch that off of my list.
The next option was for me to move back home and build a life for myself there, but I honestly don’t feel like I’m finished with going to school yet. I still enjoy going to classes, writing essays, and studying. A master’s degree is only one year, and having one, I would be able to get a higher-paying job if I ever do decide to pursue my first option. Moving back to my hometown seems more appealing to me further down the path of my life, after I’ve settled all of my academic desires.
I was ultimately brought to a decision that I very recently made: My next step is to get a master’s degree in English Literature and continue on the education path that I am on right now. And who knows, maybe my next step after this will be a PhD!
3. Talk about the decision
The very final step to my making this decision was talking about it, speaking it into existence. I’ve spoken to everyone that I think would have a good insight on the matter, from my friends who have left university after one year to join the workforce, to my parent, and English professors who have already gone through this entire process all the way to their PhDs.
This may seem like it took me a lot of work and a lot of organization to get to this point, but it really didn’t. It just took me a matter of getting all of the swirling thoughts that were going through my head onto a piece of paper in front of me. I am a very visual person, so to have a physical copy of these lists is very important for me, though maybe it won’t be for you. While I’m still stressed about my decision about my next step, it is an incredibly manageable level. I have all the information and thoughts in my brain written down in a slightly less-than-organized fashion, and while I may not know which school I would like to go to or what exactly I would like to study, I do know that my next step is a master’s degree.
I find that if I can take my plans one list at a time, everything is manageable.