Author: Lauren Stewart
This December it will be two years since I graduated from college. At times, I feel like it still hasn’t hit me. My life doesn’t feel a whole lot different since I graduated last. Perhaps it will feel more real when my boyfriend graduates this December.
I think back to where I was about a year and a half ago. I was one of the first of my friends to graduate, having finished in 3 1/2 years with a degree in journalism. I rushed through college, wanting to get dreaded school over with so I could start making money instead of spending it on classes that I didn’t really care about. Basically, I was an idiot.
I started hardcore applying for jobs before I even graduated and ended up landing a job in PR before I even walked across the stage. Dream come true, right? Not so much. When I finally started, it was nothing like I’d hoped and I ended up quitting after a month of working there. I realized the work I was doing just wasn’t for me and I couldn’t take the work atmosphere of this particular job.
So I was back to square one. Luckily around the same time I began to work a few hours at a local women’s online magazine. Then my previous unpaid internship asked to have me back, this time with paid hours. Slowly but surely, through recommendations and perseverance, I now have seven clients, work as a freelancer, and write my own personal blog. Was this my original plan? Definitely not. Did I hope to work from home, writing and handling marketing requests one day? It was a dream. Do I think I will do this forever? I am not sure.
Freelancing is amazing but can also be frustrating at times. You have to be extremely organized to juggle seven different basically part-time jobs. You have to be available and ready to work. Right now, the money isn’t amazing but I am getting by. I love working on my own schedule though, having different people to work for and always changing projects.
So remember, fellow post grads, your plans will change. You won’t always do what you end up hoping you will. Things will fall into your lap when they are meant to if you work hard and impress the right people. While right now, I am almost 23 and graduated from college and working as a freelancer, I still live at home with my parents and am not always sure where I want to go next in my life… I am trying. And I am confident it will all work out for the best.
**All month we are featuring articles from recent grads and graduating seniors on where they are now. You can read the rest of the articles here. If you would like to submit a post for this segment, read this and/or send us an email at forevertwentysomethings@gmail.com.**
