“So what are you doing after graduation?”

    By: Meghan Nowakowski
    Psych Major
    Class of '08

      “So what are you doing after graduation?”

      If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been asked this question, I wouldn’t have to worry about what I’m doing after college. Between talking to classmates, professors, family members and pretty much everyone else I know, this seems to be the only subject that is ever brought up. For some of my peers, this question is a welcome invitation for them to share their exciting plans or their amazing new job. For me, not so much.

      So what am I doing after graduation? That answer all depends on the mood you catch me in. Sometimes, I’m going to backpack across Europe and never come back. Other times, I’m going to Boston with my roommate to perpetually extend my adolescence. And sometimes I even claim that I’ll be staying here in Hamden... doing what? Who knows. Anyone who’s asked me that dreaded question has probably heard at least one of these plans.

      The truth is, I don’t know what I’m doing. There I said it.

      That phrase is taboo. It’s unthinkable. It’s the one thing I’m not supposed to feel as I graduate from four years of college. And to think, my parents have spent over $120,000 on this education of mine, after countless hours of classes and more papers than I can count, I still don’t know what I want to do with my life.

      It’s not as though I’m completely clueless. I love my major (psychology) and I’m passionate about the clubs and organizations I participate in, namely WQAQ. I can honestly say I’ve taken advantage of the opportunities at this school. But what comes next? I still don’t know what I’m doing with this psychology degree, or if I’ll ever put my DJ experience to good use. And this is when the panic sets in, usually shortly after someone asks me my post-grad plans.

      But then, during one of my anxiety attacks, a thought dawned on me; is the only point of college to have the rest of my life mapped out? No, it’s not; it can’t be. Even though my career path isn’t exactly clear, I’m a lot closer than I was when I first got here.

      And I have to believe that I’m not alone. I can’t be the only one who is stuck wondering what they will be doing one year from today. Will I be in an Apartment in Avalon, or a hostel in Europe, or a duplex in Boston? No matter how hard I search my brain, I won’t find the answer.

      But one thing is clear: while I have no idea how to solve my own problems, I’ll have a pricey piece of paper that says I know how to solve yours.