I am about to graduate. Now what?
By Paige Shellhammer UA’24 and Jim Stellar
PS is facing a similar dilemma for soon-to-be college graduates. For them, this dilemma is relevant to their mentors, and JS and PS have developed that interaction. So how do students about to enter the real world of employment use it to further their growth in college and what is the role of the college-based mentor (if any)? These questions range from the large (what am I going to do with my life?) to the smaller (will my employer pay for graduate school?). That is what we want to discuss here.
Sometimes, these crucial years of college education fly by much quicker than we expected. Some of us even enter with credits already from high school and graduate early in the way that I am. This leaves students with even less time to create a plan and decide upon graduation, what path they will take. Some options which I have considered and I am sure many others do as well include taking a year off to find employment within my field to gain work experience and find a corporation that will pay for my studies when I (PS) decide to go back for my masters and PhD. It could be diving right back into my studies to complete my next degree and get a headstart. I have even considered taking a year off to travel, see the world and experience new things, while growing as an individual before entering the “real world.” All of which have extraordinary benefits and sacrifices that need to be made.
The answer to which path might be different for each individual that is completing their undergraduate degree. That is why building these relationships with professors and other mentors are essential. You are able to discuss with another that has already been in your shoes and has the knowledge that you might not. They have even watched numerous other students and the path they decided to take. They can share that knowledge to help provide insight which could be useful when making this difficult, life changing-decision.
Mentor and a bit of emotional communication can help set choices, especially after completing a college degree (or just about doing that). One can get stuck and be less open-minded to choosing the path. But how do we change our mind? The answer may be surprising as it involves emotions and the limbic system as much as cognition and planning. This is where a mentor comes in, sometimes with a bit of the patina of an adopted family member that has developed over the college years. The form of non-parental trust and exchange of ideas with the student’s feelings that is available for conversation with a mentor, is called reflection. One can do this reflection by themselves but it helps to have a partner. One can do it with peers, but sometimes an older perspective is useful. As Daniel Kahanmen points out in his book “Thinking Fast and Slow,” sometimes a heuristic is used in the decision where the explicit planning does not have all the data. Heuristics involve feelings and gut-calls and a mentor-mentee interaction can help to surface what might be the feelings buried behind the potential cognitive factors in career choice explorations in a gap year.
With the dedication and time that goes into the choices we make, it can be stressful especially when it is a very influential decision that needs to be made determining the trajectory of our future. Sometimes we are forced to take action before we are necessarily ready to or have not been able to come to a sound enough choice that we feel comfortable with. However, choosing a college, a career path, or whatever that large decision might entail, does not mean we are glued to that path. It is important to take these jumps to be able to identify the avenues we enjoy and the ones that we do not. If we never get that experience and put ourselves out into the world, it is hard to decide whether it is the correct path or not.
You can transfer colleges, change majors, switch job positions, and so forth. But without trying something we believe we potentially could see ourselves doing, we limit the opportunities we have going forward more than if we never made a choice at all. It is a misconception that making a significant life decision limits and ceases all other opportunities we could have been presented with if we left our options open.
I (PS) have felt that I had my entire life planned out since middle school. I knew what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go to school, and even how I was going to do it. That has all changed a dozen times over and that is perfectly fine! Without setting those goals for myself and working hard towards what I thought was the path for me, I would not be where I am today. I would have missed out on so many opportunities to learn and grow as an individual. Setting myself up for success came from allowing myself to make the decisions that were not always the correct ones. It presented me with new opportunities and showed me what I was truly looking for, instead of what I originally thought and pursued. It is also okay to not know exactly what you want to do. The important aspect is continuing to put yourself out there to try new things and discover the passion we all strive for in our future careers and life choices. These reminders, although seemingly simple, are part of the reassuring guidance that working alongside a mentor, can help affirm for you.
(Both) If you change your mind and are not into it, change immediately. If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. But don’t switch because of a struggle. Switch if you lose interest, or better yet, switch if something else inspires you. While one has to be careful not to switch all the time, now (in college or just after graduation) is the time to do it.
