Here’s Why Having No After College Plans Is Okay
Everybody has those perfect after college plans
go to college, get good grades, graduate with a degree of some sort, and then land that job you’ve been dreaming of and live happily ever after (hopefully not single). How many of us can say that’s worked out, though? If it has for you, I’d love to know your secret. Here’s a small story coming from a girl who thought she knew what she wanted to be all her life, has two jobs, is engaged, but is currently going through a midlife crisis in her senior year of college.
I’ve always wanted to be a veterinarian. Partly because my parents want to see me become the only doctor in our family, but mostly because I love animals. I always considered other jobs, but there was always an “and” between those and the veterinarian. I thought I would grow up, become a vet, maybe be a dance instructor on the side, buy that $35,000 wedding dress, and live happily ever after in a $5.5 million mansion. I even thought I could run my own vet office and take in both small animals, horses, and dolphins.
I have never been more wrong about my after college plans. I’ve ignored *all* the signs of what my true passions are, which has led me to tell this story.
On the first day of classes this semester, I decided to add a biology class to my schedule, which meant I had to go and talk to the professor. Now most profs will just say “Oh, that’s cool. See you tomorrow,” but this professor didn’t let me off the hook so easy. He first asked the preliminary questions of “Have you taken class x, y, and z?” and “Why are you switching?” Now I thought we were done, but then he went on to talk about life. Now I am NOT a talker, especially when it comes to life, but he made me realize something when he asked, “Why do you just want to be a vet tech instead of the full veterinarian?”
“Well…” I said, stuttering as usual because I don’t plan for these questions. Now, most people would probably say “I don’t know” or “Just because.” After really thinking about it though, I realized that I was about to admit something huge. My response wasn’t typical. It was, “The life I have in mind doesn’t allow for it and I don’t believe I can handle the stress.”
He looked at me for what seemed like hours, though it was probably only 5 seconds, and then said, “It takes a lot of courage to admit that you can’t do something and that is what will help you succeed later. And if you work hard as a vet tech and feel it’s too easy, you always have that option to go beyond that.”
At that moment, I realized what college was really about. It’s not about what grades you’ve gotten or getting accepted to that big university. It’s about learning to mature and that’s what’s going to stand out.
Some people would say I’ve hit an all-time low
Ppontaneously applying for jobs I may not even be interested in, considering myself to be in a mid-life crisis (which means I’ll die at age 44), but I consider it something else. I consider it maturity. I realized that all dreams don’t come true and a $5.5 million mansion isn’t what I want anyway (I still want that huge kitchen though!).
My advice is as follows:
Stay in college, get a degree, but don’t feel you *have* to use it. You can be whatever you want. Listen to your heart. And as well as realizing what you want to do with your life, you’ll more than likely gain some great morals as well and be more respected by a lot of people. And that is what will help land you a job. Life is like a canvas. You have the brush, so all you need to do is sketch the picture and fill it in with colors.
I still don’t know what I want to do, but I have some ideas that I’m willing to explore. I think I want to stick with my passion, which is what led me to here, and learn more to become an English professor. Now this article probably hasn’t given you eye-opening advice, and it definitely hasn’t helped you reach nirvana, but I hope that when you’re done reading this, you sit and ponder life. What do you want to do? Who do want people to remember you by? What is YOUR true passion? What are you after college plans?
