Life After College

Photo by Alpo Hassinen

Last week, I had a dream that I was climbing a huge, snowy mountain. The trail was steep and slippery and I almost fell a few times, but always managed to regain my balance again. At the top, a huge igloo awaited me. Inside, I found a large table filled with colorful balloon animals and tons of candy.

Weird, I know, but it was one of those dreams that you can’t stop thinking about because it seemed so real. Then suddenly, it dawned on me. This dream is totally pertinent to my life, and probably to the lives of many graduating seniors.

We’ve traveled so far during our lifetimes, encountering many obstacles, on paths that have been nicely laid out for us: preschool, elementary school, high school, college . . . but what comes next?

Life after college may not be as “sweet” as we expect, especially given the state of the economy, so why not take advantage of the freedom that comes with having few obligations and no career set in stone? This is the ideal time to seize opportunities that may not be available to us later on in life. Here are a few ideas:

Teach English in Japan or Korea for a year.
Volunteer for an organization you really care about.
If you have the means, TRAVEL.
Learn another language.
Learn how to play an instrument.
Take an art class.

Life after college will be as exciting as we make it. Hopefully, mine will consist of something more rewarding than colorful balloon animals and an assortment of candy.