I have 36 days until I walk across the commencement stage and 50 days until I run away to the Rocky Mountains.
For many years, I’ve dedicated my life to getting As and learning about journalism, history, and politics. I’ve attended events and meetings I thought I had no business attending and met some impressive people. I have accomplished plenty as a student. Still, I’ve never seen a mountain.
The pressures of finding a fulfilling, ethical, and well-paying job as a new graduate nearly crushed me last year. It seemed impossible, especially in today’s job market. Something dawned on me last semester, and I realized there was no immediate need to do so.
Through the website coolworks.com, which I heard of through a friend, I found a summer job in Colorado that would feed, house, and pay me to relocate. My job title is kitchen staff/cabin keeper.
Some people seem disappointed when they hear that I’m not jumping into my field. While I will have some resume-building opportunities while out west, I am ready to shift my focus for a few months. I’m finding it hard to care what others think about that.
New graduates need to find an identity for themselves outside of “student.” We will have to understand success in a way not contained by Canvas or MyDegree. My intelligence won’t be quantified.
Soon after I shed my fear of driving, I learned I had been shielding myself from so many experiences. It hardly matters what I know from books and articles if I have seen so little of the world with my own eyes. Although I will admit I am running away from Microsoft Word and textbooks, I am not running away from working and learning.
Being my own boss this year taught me hard lessons. From my classes to my work, I was in charge. This was not as liberating as some might imagine. I’m grateful for the opportunities that I’m granted in this position, but I crave something different now.
The day I have my degree, I am clearing the storage on my computer and storing everything I own in my car. I wanted to work with other people in a beautiful place and be tired at night because I was actually moving. I am sick of the fatigue that comes from staring at screens.
Aside from being a generic member of one non-profit’s summer staff, I will also define my identity through creative pursuits. I’ll be able to write with no limits on genre, AP Style, or word count. I can finally get into photography, one aspect of journalism I rarely dared to touch.
If any students feel a similar pressure to find their dream job within an unrealistic time frame, I encourage them to remember that there is no correct or incorrect way to be a graduate. Once you have your degree, it is your own business for how you use it.
I will return to journalism before too long, and I may even find other professional fields that inspire me. For the time being, I am fulfilled with my decision to take a detour. It is time for me to learn outside the classroom.
C.E. – EC / C.F. / AM