A new semester, as we all know, means a return to the fast-paced stress of deadlines and degrees. It makes me miss working at my summer job, a tourist trap restaurant in the village of Lake George. There I found good stress, worrying only about whether table 32 got their side of ranch, if the kitchen has my tray ready or if the bartender “accidentally” made an extra vodka Red Bull. At this point, I am used to the transition between summer and fall, from fun stress to class stress. For freshmen and those fearing for their future, they may feel that this is the lowest point of their life. It gets repeated too many times, but the key is to just take a breath and not worry so much.
College, for decades, was touted as the most important four years of a modern person’s life. Friendships and connections were to be made, entire careers were to be plotted out and it was all meant to set someone up for the rest of their life. College is a single chapter in the average life story. If everyone lives to 80 and attends for four years, that is 5% of their life. Spoiler alert: things will change and there is no way to make a life plan.
Speaking as someone that was kicked out of SUNY Oswego after their freshman year for poor grades, life throws a lot of curveballs. I was a dumb zoology-majoring freshman who had a whole career mapped out but slipped up on more than a few tests and got booted. Now, I am a senior in journalism with no major plan after graduation. Aside from maybe graduate school for the hyper-specific niche field I would like to go into, but nothing concrete.
The only way to go through college is to not have a concrete plan. Sure, finding a good job is what everyone should want, but maybe that is not in the cards for this life. For others, maybe the dream after college turns out to be living in a cute cottage in the woods or having a quaint little bakery.
Too much focus is put on making as much money as possible the second college is over. While expensive meals and pretty clothes are nice, that should not be the focus of any one person’s life, though for those less fortunate, money must be the focus and that is understood. Make art, go for a 6-month hike, just hang out and learn to be at peace with yourself.
The only way to truly find peace in this life is to realize nothing is truly in your control. There is no guarantee you will be happy on your current path, and that is alright as long as you allow it to change to be happy.
Photo from Flickr
