By I’ve taken approximately 120 units of classes during my time in community college and at California State University, Long Beach. In that time I don’t remember being told to prepare for what was coming after.
As I am writing this I am fully aware that the life of a post-grad sounds unappealing. As of now it is more anti-climactic.
I found more of an adrenaline rush in planning out semesters, coming up with Plans A, B and C just in case one fell through and the worst was to happen, like being waitlisted.
I actually miss the all nighters, which included coffee and the rest of an eight-page paper, which I hadn’t fancied to start until the day before it was due.
For the engineers who had a job straight out of college, I tip my hat off to you.
But what happens to the California State University, Long Beach alumni who graduated under the college of liberal arts but no concrete plan afterwards?
LinkedIn, employment sites and headhunters start becoming your preferred choice of social media sites instead of Instagram.
Okay, I’m lying. I’m still 100 percent addicted to following celebrities I don’t know.
The reality is that a post-graduate, pre-full-time work force life includes boredom, eye straining from computer screen and Netflix accompanied with countless hours of resume building and filling out of applications.
With a graduation rate of 13 percent for four-year students and 57 percent for 6-year students, it feels as if the rest of the graduates did everything right in college and I was the only one just trying to finish school.
Why wasn’t I paying attention to my future? Why didn’t I think ahead? If I could go back in time to my first semester at CSULB, I would become more involved in the planning for my post-grad life.
I don’t mean that you should do everything that you think would look great on a resume, but do the things you enjoy doing while staying involved.
Join clubs on things you’ve wanted to do before, because being involved with other students will keep you motivated to do well in school and to stay focused.
Speak more with your professors, not only for the sake of maybe improving a grade, but as a connection for a potential referral for a future job.
And most importantly, stop and ask yourself, “am I happy?” Whatever the answer may be, take action before you enter post-grad life.
There is a saying my mother says that has annoyingly stuck into my post-grad subconscious: “Quien busca, encuentre,” which means, “The person who looks for something, finds it.”
It’s phrases like these that encourage me to keep my head up. When looking at the big picture, it’s just the beginning of a life outside the college bubble.
And, even from the post-grad throne of my living room couch, I can feel what great potential my post-college life has.
Jaclyn Baiz is a 2014 CSULB alumna.
