A Buellerian Approach to Post-Graduation Life

If you’re like me, and you’re graduating this week you have probably either been in school since you were four or five years old, or that 16-18 year period of school was spread out over a longer period of time. It is tempting, at the end of all of this, to charge into the world full-bore.

I might suggest that you do so a bit more softly. Rather than metaphorically tearing your way into the world, why not a comfortable metaphorical meander? Heck, you’re pretty cool I think—why not a sweet ass metaphorical saunter? Like you’re just too laid back, you know?

What I mean to say is this: college gives you weird expectations of the world. The foremost being that with your bachelor’s degree, you have earned your key to a successful life. Ha! What an idiot you are for that one.

That was mean. But the truth is, in the wake of an economic disaster in which we millennials have come to age, receiving a bachelor’s degree is just kind of like buy­ing a ticket to play a carnival game—you get to play, but that doesn’t mean you are going to win. And if you do win, it is go­ing to take a lot of time.

As a matter of fact, most people don’t actually hit the career nail on the head until their thirties. You will try at things, and fail a lot, and succeed a lot, but ulti­mately time may just end up being a bit harsh to you. Because of those possibilities, it’s important to just sort of choose a life that will make you happy until you reach your overall goals.

Don’t expect a perfect job, especially if you’re like me—22 years-old. College education aside, we 22 year-olds are still pretty stupid at this point in our lives. This is an issue fixed easily either with experi­ence (in work, or just life in general) or Grad school (but who needs those nerds, am I right?)

For me personally, this means finding a job where I can be helpful to the less fortunate while preparing myself for grad­uate school because I’m such an amazing person.

But mostly, we should all just kind of look around and realize that like, life is good, guys. Even if your expectations aren’t fulfilled, if you lose friends, if you struggle it will all lead you down a path (whether winding, or less so) in which you will be content—or at the very least, hap­py.

So be the wildcard. Be the rogue that you want to be. College being over doesn’t mean it’s time to conform—if anything, it means that it’s time to shake things up using your sweet new degree, and enjoy yourself as much as possible in the process.

In the words of one of the greatest phi­losophers of the 20th Century: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it” –Ferris Bueller