Is This What They Call Adulting? Post Grad Scaries

I was gifted a Florida Atlantic Alumni sweatshirt two weeks ago. I remember crying and saying goodbye to my family after they moved me in freshman year.

I don’t think it’s hit me just yet that I graduated college and won’t be returning to the sunny Boca area come January, like all my friends are. You can find me entering the adult world in the dead of winter up north in New Jersey. 

It feels crazy to even say that!

Three months ago, in September, I kept thinking I had all the time in the world before graduation day, but I was so wrong. So, so, wrong. 

I remember sitting on the couch, with my phone in hand, on Facetime with my mom and aunt, and with Bella in the kitchen. All I could think about was if I had chosen the right major, second-guessing my whole career path when I had just three months before receiving my diploma. 

I blurted, “Did I choose the wrong major?” and instantly my mom said, “No” while my aunt countered and said, “Yes.” 

Imagine the horror on my face, not to mention my heart already in my stomach. If every white dress my mom sent me didn’t already make me feel sick, can you guess how sick I was from my aunt’s response? 

My eyes bulged out of my head. 

As the semester went on, I threw myself into every Owl TV sports package that needed a reporter and I found myself right where I was supposed to be, doing exactly what I love. And I felt better about the major I had chosen because I genuinely couldn’t see myself doing anything else. 

However, that’s not to say there weren’t times during my last semester when I didn’t think about being a business major instead or going to law or medical school because why would anyone study communications and journalism?? But, my passion wasn’t to work a 9-5 desk job staring at Excel sheets all day like it is for my fellow finance guys. And I fear I would never last a day in Orgo.

Post-grad life is already scary and it’s only been two weeks. I also don’t want to rush into a job that has people answering questions about their work with, “It’s a job,” I want something that allows me to feel fulfilled in what I’m doing. 

I think most people are scared to talk about the hardships that come post-graduation. I think people don’t want to be seen as a failure or a disappointment in the eyes of their loved ones. I’ve realized that right now it’s okay to be in a period where you feel lost, confused, and stuck. But I think most people just play it off as just sunshine and rainbows, slapping a big smile on their faces.

GUILTY. I’ve found myself on the verge of tears sometimes because I’m scared that I don’t know what lies ahead in my future. If we’re being real, I feel like the poster child for a confused, depressed post-grad girlie who has no idea what’s in store. It literally gives me anxiety sometimes. 

 I don’t want to be still at the restaurant. Shoutout Taylor Swift? 

Sometimes I say that if I could do it all over again, I would. But I know I would choose the same major all over again because I love to write and I never stop talking. It’s truly what I love and want to do in the future or even now, the present?? Since I’m no longer in college?? 

IDK, still feels weird saying that. I remember freshman year of HIGH SCHOOL as if it was yesterday. Was it not yesterday??

Everything in life takes time and I know I’ll find myself exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m passionate about. So if you ever feel defeated when you don’t get that internship or the job position you applied for, just know you’re one step closer to YOUR job position. I genuinely believe you have to find the positive in situations because everything truly does happen for a reason. 

And just like that, I’m an Owl Alum!

Gianna