So….What now?
After four years of mountains of homework, stressful late nights, and the constant “just two more years,” we’ve finally made it. Through the math that suddenly involved the alphabet and the class periods that turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet, we have finally made it to the day we have looked forward to for four years.
Do we understand the concept of the order of operations? No, but we do know the many different ways ChatGPT can be used. And now we enter into a new chapter of life that can only be labeled as “confusing” or otherwise known as “adulthood.” The funny thing about “adulthood” is that no one else has it figured out.
Even the people who look like they have it all “figured out” don’t. We are all still learning and failing and having a quarter-life crisis that leaves you screaming in your car.
There is no syllabus given to you on what to expect as you enter this new chapter of life; you just figure it out as you go. Once you graduate, it becomes a free-for-all, all about going off to college, getting a job, or taking a gap year.
Life symbolizes a roller coaster because of the unexpected twists and turns you take in each segment, and sooner or later, you are going to have a moment of doubt in your life, but then you have to pick yourself back up again.
This is a period that marks the significance of the path in life you choose, learning the ins and outs of adult complexity, each of us starts to become individuals, and have different paths.
Becoming responsible and accountable is a huge part of graduating; you start to learn to speak up for yourself and leave the bubble of high school, where you have people constantly nagging you about your assignments. College is a huge reality check to students coming out of high school because it depends on your choices. Your teachers do not care if you sit in the back of the class on your phone because at the end of the day you’re only wasting your time and money while they still get paid regardless of your actions.
After graduation, many of us will feel nostalgia for the routine we used to possess in high school; now, whether that is positive or negative is up to the person and their experience. Uncertainty could be a word to describe your life after you graduate, uncertainty on your direction in life, on who you will meet, what experiences you will have, and whether they will benefit you or not.
But one thing to be certain about is that “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And I use this analogy to express that patience makes greatness, your dreams won’t be handed to you, because you have to earn them, you have to go through all-nighters, nothing but ramen for weeks, and questionable roommates. The moral of the story is to embrace your journey to success because it might not always be fun, but it sure will be a hell of a ride!