Employment Guide: Lyons: Don’t be afraid to graduate

There is a word that students view with increasing fear the closer they get to the end of their college careers. There is a word that students view with increasing fear the closer they get to the end of their college careers. This word is known to cause anxiety, rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure and feelings of discomfort. The “g” word allows those on pre-med or pre-law tracks to gloat about their upcoming plans and forces those with English literature and communications majors to hyperventilate and cry.

To those of you scared of this word, know that it’s going to be OK. Understand that not knowing with absolute certainty what you want to do with your life when you get out of Pitt is more than OK. By the end of this column, maybe you will even be able to say “graduation” without cringing and going into the fetal position.

A large number of upperclassmen are petrified of going into the real world because they don’t know what they want to do with their lives. Although the uncertainty is terrifying, you’re not the only one. If you Google “graduating college and don’t know what to do” you’ll encounter a long list of search results conveying anxiety and terror at the prospect of earning a degree and not knowing how to use it. Seniors, ask your friends now what they’re doing after May; even now, in January, many will tell you that they have no idea. This is not unusual and is nothing to be ashamed of.

USA Today explains that our generation is at an advantage because we’re more comfortable with changing jobs. This career flexibility is helpful both because it allows us more advantages in a sparsely populated job environment and also because it gives us exposure to more occupations and helps us to generate ideas about what we want to do with our futures.

Use this flexibility to your advantage. Apply to programs like Americorps or Teach for America and enjoy the fact that you don’t have to rely on a large income to be happy. Considering that you haven’t been living a life of luxury in Oakland for the past three years, the adjustment to earning money annually, no matter how large or small, will not be difficult. Working at a nonprofit organization allows you to spend a few years helping people. Enjoy the fact that you probably don’t have a family to support at your emotionally fulfilling job.

Alternatively, you can go on the stereotypical backpacking trip across Europe in an attempt to find yourself. If you travel through a country you particularly love, you could join a program where you teach English to child refugees in their own countries. There are programs in nations such as Thailand or South Korea that pay you to teach children English. These jobs are also morally rewarding, as they allow you to experience the joy of teaching children and helping people in need.

Don’t be distressed if you can’t find employment of any kind immediately after college, morally fulfilling or otherwise. Don’t be afraid to apply for jobs you might not otherwise be interested in. The best way to pick up a minor at Pitt is to take general education classes and see what you like — maybe the real world works in a similar way. The career flexibility that our generation seems to have gives us the freedom to look for jobs that fall outside of our comfort zones or areas of immediate interest. An unexpected job could generate interest and take you down a career path you never dreamed of pursuing. And if not, at least you can cross off one more thing you know you don’t want to do and face the job market with another employer reference.

Most of all, take pride in your accomplishments. Graduating college is no easy feat, and you should enjoy the last few months or years you have left. Face the future with your similarly undecided peers knowing that while you might not understand 100 percent what you want to do when you’re out of Pitt, you have the ability to figure it out and make the real world as enjoyable of an experience as college. After all, can your liver really take any more than four years of higher education?

Write Kel at kjl27@pitt.edu.