It’s almost here– possibly your last graduation day. It’s a scary time for most soon-to-be graduates, especially those who have no idea what they’re going to do with their lives. Although, you need to remember that this is the end of a great era!
Then people start whispering in your ear saying that college is the best time of your life and suddenly the future isn’t looking too sweet.
Maybe you don’t have any special honors for your hard work. Maybe your GPA isn’t as high as you thought it was. And, what seems like the worst feeling ever– maybe you don’t have a job lined up.
Let those thoughts slip your mind. There’s no time like the present to feel good about all of the work you’ve done leading up to this day. From your first day of Kindergarten to now, this is the time for you to feel confident as the last stretch is racing toward you.
Here are some ideas that should make you feel more confident before graduation.
This is a time for celebration
You’ve pulled all-nighters. You’ve worked in groups that were absolutely worthless. You’ve crammed for multiple tests in one day. And now, it’s all coming to an end. It’s time to celebrate. Think about all of the times you tried your hardest and really got something out of it and came out on top. You’ve made it. We all know those people who didn’t finish college (or high school). You did. Those folks may be jealous of your degree alone. You should be proud!
It’s your degree, no one else’s
This is probably the phrase that stuck with me the most after graduating in December. “No one can ever take away your education/degree.” And it’s true. I could lose a job, dump a boyfriend, move across the country and one thing never changes — my education. The things you’ve learned will stick with you and all of those random classes that you signed up for will give you extra knowledge that others don’t have. Cherish your degree.
Be happy with your job selection
Finding and landing a job is probably one of your biggest stresses as graduation day gets closer. No matter what you choose to do, don’t settle. Be happy with your choice. I know it’s hard to walk across that stage knowing that the moment you get off everyone is going to ask “What’s next?” You don’t need an answer right away. Usually, you’re the only person putting yourself in a time frame. If your friends or family start pestering you, remind them that you want to make the best decision with your brand new degree.
Invite everyone you know
If you plan on celebrating after picking up your diploma, invite everyone. It will be one of the last times (besides your wedding) that you’ll get sweet letters of encouragement and, of course, checks in the mail. It’s great to hear from people you haven’t talked with in ages and this is a great time to rekindle old friendships as you start a new chapter in life. Invite everyone you know to this shindig and if the commencement and/or dinner are too much, tell them when you plan on catching some drinks during your celebratory weekend.
Update your resume
Give your resume a facelift before you walk across the stage. Swap resumes with friends looking for jobs similar to you and get ideas from each other. Also, I highly suggest talking with your university’s Career Services. They know exactly what employers are looking for and usually a counselor will check your resume for you with just a simple email attachment and add their comments and suggestions. Some of the best people who checked out my resume were employers that didn’t have open positions. I got great tips to help me possibly land a job down the road.
