As someone who decided to cut their time at college short and graduate early, I experienced a lot of “fomo” while I watched my friends resume classes and I started working full-time in the beginning of January. I had just graduated, but I still felt lost with my direction in life and was beginning to look at other opportunities outside of the retail job I was working at.
When everything changed in March, and college was cut short for everyone, I was at first grateful of my decision to graduate early and avoid the stresses of moving back home or figuring out classes. But then I felt sad for all of my friends and how their lives and how the end of college was decided for them.
Many of my friends are graduating from college this weekend, and maybe you are too. Though the celebration may not be what any of us were expecting, that does not diminish your accomplishments of taking on college, or graduate school and getting your degree. I repeat, do not let this pandemic diminish your accomplishments and feelings of celebration.
If there are a few things that I have learned about life after college it’s that college does not fully prepare you for the real world. I am sorry, but unfortunately it’s true.
There are some things in life that you have to learn on the way, and there is no manual to tell you what to do. The transition from college life to the real world is never easy, there are so many things that nobody tells you, and no one is there to hold your hand either.
We like to think that going to college and finding your career is a linear process. However, it is the most complicated not straight forward process you could encounter, and especially with COVID, it’s only so much harder to find jobs.
To everyone graduating, just take a breath. Things are not how they were a few months ago. The society that you are graduating into did not exist a few months ago. You all came into college expecting normalcy when you graduated, but things are obviously not like how they were. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to reach success or excellence, and do not beat yourself up if things do not go your way. Currently, nothing is going the way that we all expected.
And that is okay.
It is perfectly okay to feel frustrated, upset, and robbed of your college experience. It is only natural, all of these feelings of accomplishment muddled with disappointment is okay. Regardless of the pandemic, you still did it. You are still “walking” this weekend. Though it might not be across a big stage with thousands of your best friends, you’re still graduating, you still got your degree, and that is not something everyone achieves.
Though the world is in chaos, and everything may seem uncertain, be proud of your accomplishments and let go of the negative feelings you may have about being robbed of your experiences and of college. There is nothing else we can do, no matter how much we scream, kick, or cry. It’s not going to reverse the course of the pandemic, and it will not bring those months back that you’ve lost.
Instead, focus on the good things that are happening in the world, and be grateful that you had the opportunity to attend a four year university to begin with, and that you were able to finish it. No matter how long or fast it took you to get to this stage, congratulations because you deserve it. It is an absolute privilege to be able to walk with your degree(s) in hand and say that you know what you’re talking about.
It’s also perfectly normal to graduate and feel like you have absolutely no idea what’s happening or what you’re doing and to feel stuck. It’s okay, it’s just how life occurs. Also, do not compare your successes to other people’s accomplishments. You are your own person with your own life and experiences, the more you compare yourself to others the more miserable you are going to feel in your own skin and your accomplishments.
The biggest lie of life is that adults have their lives figured out and they know what is going on. I’ll be the first one to tell you that nobody in the real world has it all figured out. No adult knows what they’re actually doing, and they’re just maneuvering life day by day just like you. Even if it seems like someone has their entire life together, they actually don’t.
Everyone is uncomfortable and afraid of the same things in life. No one knows what is going on, we are all in the same boat together. Some people are just better at hiding their struggles than other people, and that is okay. I promise you that adults weren’t handed a book of what to do with their lives. They had to figure it out day by day just like you. Everyone struggles and cries and has bad days.
As someone who was supposed to graduate in 2020, this class has my whole heart and I am very proud of all of you and all of your accomplishments. Our class has gone through a lot since the beginning of our college careers, but I know that we will all persist and do great things in the future. Congratulations everyone, you earned it.
MINAH WEBB 