OPINION: Post Grad — Let’s not talk about it

Being a senior in college has its perks.

The light at the end of the tunnel is now so glaring that it brainwashes me into avoiding class, class projects and anything that has to do with processing thoughts onto paper for grades.

At this point, I know what I need to do in order to get out of here. It’s a big relief going into scheduling classes and knowing exactly what I need to take.

The one, big, not-so-perk of being a senior? Being asked this question on repeat: “So what are you doing after graduation?”

The answer: I honestly have no freakin’ clue.

They drop it so casually — family, friends, professors — they all want to know what I’m going to do with my life 7 months from now.

I’m just trying to get through this week.

Between pouring my life into “getting as much experience as possible before graduating” and attending all six of my classes so I can make that graduation happen, I’ve found little time to find my future. I’d love to answer you by saying living in a city I love, doing “insert dream job here.” But, I can’t. And 99 percent of college seniors can’t.

And you asking us that question is like pouring fresh lemon juice on the unemployment wound. My aunt asked me this question this past weekend and I’m not joking when I say tears filled my eyes while I said, “I don’t know,” in the most teenager-going-through-bitchy-years way.

I know you’re just curious to what I want to do with my life.  What in the world am I going to do with all of this experience I gained in college? I’m just so full of knowledge now. How am I going to put it to use?

Trust me, I’d love to know, too.  It’s just not that easy.

The current unemployment rate in the United States is more glaring than the “light” we should be seeing at the end of the tunnel. Nearly 7.3 percent of people are unemployed. It’s definitely better for us than those 2010 college grads, but finding a job is a job in itself. Seriously — I’m considering quitting one of my jobs just to find a new job for my graduated-self.

We are going to apply for hundreds (probably not exaggerating) jobs and land a handful of interviews. Of those handful of interviews, we will probably get one offer. And the offer will have nothing to do with our major. Or so I’m told that’s how it goes.

Right now, I am concentrating on the 18 credits I signed myself up for. I am working a part-time job so when I graduate, I am not completely poor. I am running a magazine and I am president of a club so I have something to talk about during my interviews. I am scheduling audits so I can make sure I am ready to graduate. I am trying to find time to write so I can have more experience in my field. I am coordinating group projects, team meetings, events. I am living in the moment of each day, trying to get by on little sleep and even less time on the graduation clock.

So when you ask me what I’m doing after graduation, the answer is this:

I’ll let you know when I get there.

Photo | Jessica Fecteau, Editor in Chief