It’s been five months since I graduated. I have a degree in journalism from Middle Tennessee State University, and a one-page resume filled with experiences I gained during my time here.   

In the immediate days after I graduated, I hightailed it down to Georgia. I focused on family and spent most of my time with those I knew I wouldn’t have the chance to see for a while. It was December. Christmas was right around the corner, along with the sense that the constants in my life were slipping away. 

Suffice it to say, I was not ready to start my job hunt. I did apply for one job during December, though. Oscar Mayer Spokesperson — Hotdogger. It had been my dream job since I first found out about it three years prior. It took four months to see my status change to inactive. No interview or reject email, just a dream job tossed in the trash. 

Now, it’s the middle of May. I work part-time in the News and Media Relations department here at MTSU, though my time here is coming to an end. Getting this job has been one of the four distinct highlights of my year so far. Other than that, my post-grad life has been less than stellar. I have my friends and family, and this job, but that’s it. Everything has changed, yet nothing is different. 

I’m not sure where to go, or what to do. I know the path I’ve thought about for a year now is still beckoning to me. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to go down it. I’m debating what the right path is, if there even is a ‘right’ one. I am frozen in place in fear of choosing wrong.  

For now, I’ve settled on going back down to Georgia for a bit. Reminisce on what isn’t there and embrace what is. 

Post-grad opens so many opportunities, so much freedom. I feel stagnant, unmoving out of uncertainty and limitless possibilities. I miss school, I know at some point I want to get my master’s degree, but as much as I miss it, I can’t imagine myself back in a classroom any time soon. Though I miss the certainty of a school schedule, I have no desire to go back right now.  I’ve just been unleashed into the world! 

Everyone’s experience navigating post-grad life is different. Some of my friends have secured full-time jobs, others have a set plan they are following. I… don’t. Quite frankly, I just feel lost—in all aspects of my life. My friends and family will read this and say it is perfectly valid to feel this way, to not be certain of what I truly want to do. I know that’s the truth, but I’m not sure I believe it.  

I’ll tell you what I know. The absolute truths in my life (at the moment).  

1. I love writing. I spent my time in college working toward a degree revolving around it. 
2.  A job is part of what I need to feel fulfilled.  
3.  I think that might be it, actually. 

At the moment, I’m just trying to find things to look forward to. Concerts, trips, anything other than a job… Don’t get me wrong, I want to work, and I know that I will enjoy it. I don’t feel ready for it. I’m not sure it’s something I’ll ever feel ready for. Unfortunately, like many things, you have to do it anyway, regardless of feelings.  

All of this to tell you, if you’re about to graduate, or already did, and you don’t know what you’re doing, I promise you are not alone in that feeling. There will come a day when you figure it out. I encourage you to find some peace in the uncertainty (let me know if you figure out how) and realize it’s all a part of the process. 

—Jordan Reining (Jordan.Reining@mtsu.edu)