Fears that come with senior year

I know I can’t possibly be alone in my fear of what comes next after graduation. Some people have plans—joining the military, the Peace Corps (or something similar), graduate school or work. You may know someone who seems to have it all figured out while you’re going a little crazy even thinking about the future. Here’s a secret—everyone is scared.

We’ve all had the opportunity to continue our education for the last four years. Sure, we’re living away from home and learning how to market ourselves to the working world. While we’re developing into educated adults, however, we’re also extending our childhood. We don’t have to worry about how our credit score will affect buying a house or renting an apartment (at least for the first few years). We don’t have to worry about food because you have a meal plan. Yes, finding internships, weekend jobs and completing work for classes and clubs is a constant concern, but they exist within the microcosm of college life.

After graduation, that all changes. You’re suddenly no longer practicing being an adult—you ARE the adult. At 21, 22 or 23 years old, we’re thrust into the world with all the life skills we’ve managed to wrangle together during our four years at Iona. For some that may be how to practice in their profession, for others it may be how best to market themselves to an employer. For some people it may just be figuring out the best way to spend a Friday and Saturday night.

Your level of preparedness really depends on you. At this point in your life, you can be either your own best friend or greatest enemy. Your success—and your failures—are solely up to you. And that’s really scary.

To combat that fear, lay out all your options. What do you really want to do? Do you want to enter the workforce right away? Can you afford not to? What about joining a community service organization for a few years? Some are lucky enough to even find jobs that will pay for their graduate degree later on down the line.

So yes, you’re freaking out. Okay, we can work with that. You’re at least on the right track if you’re thinking about the future. Take a deep breath, buckle down and really look at all the different paths in front of you. It’s tempting to turn a blind eye to the inevitable, but you’ll be doing yourself a favor if you start planning now, rather than in January or even later. Make the decision to benefit yourself, and see where it leads you.