So it’s the end of May, and many of you are probably swamped with an insane amount of exams. Like my little brother (who sort of inspired this post) and his friends, and the load of you that I’ve seen on Twitter and Facebook, the prospect of going out into the ~real world~ is probably f*cking terrifying.
You may have started job hunting back in Jan/Feb (or maybe I was just a keen bean, worried to death), trying to find something to keep you in the area, to jump on the ‘work ladder’ so to speak and get as much experience as possible, getting into whatever industry that is available, just so you’re not being lazy – fair enough.
You’re probably super adamant that you NEED to stay in the field you studied because why ever would you even consider another path? With that being said though, I will also say this – it is not the end of the world if you don’t know what the hell you want to do yet.
Finishing university is an incredible achievement, and in all honesty, I think your early 20’s is still about finding yourself. Hell, your entire 20’s is about finding yourself. If you’ve got your shit together then that’s great, but there’s nothing wrong with figuring out where you want your little pin to land on the map. I’m 25 and 30 does not feel that far away anymore – and yet I still struggle to adult on the best of days.
I watched a video recently that really put it all into perspective to me. We’ll be working our arses off until we’re 70, 80 years old; taking time out to figure out your passions is definitely something that you should do before you’re stuck in something you’re not truly into.
“Working hard for something you don’t care about is called stress, working hard for something you love is called passion.”
Find what works for you…
Finding something to tide you over is absolutely fine, but what’s even better about finishing uni is that you have the world at your feet – you have the ability to work for yourself at any given moment, and ultimately, it might seem like a lot of work to establish, but once you’re up and running, you’ll thank yourself for it – trust me. My boyfriend Adam is a great example of this; he’s worked so hard to get somewhere with his freelancing, and it’s paying off because it’s doing what he loves, and it really shows in his work.
Take the time to figure out what is you truly want. I bet when you went to Uni, you questioned why you were studying your degree choice at least once.
That ‘GAPYAH’ is fine…
Travelling is something you need to do – be it before you go (I only wish I’d done this, for so many reasons), or after. It opens you up to experiencing the world. There is SO much out there for you to see, and throwing yourself into different cultures can truly change you for the better. Please believe me when I say, your quaint little village might hold all the security in the world for you, but there is something deeply exciting about finding yourself in a bar in Thailand, sweating profusely, not knowing whether street food will make you poorly. Sounds horrid but it’s part of the fun.
My friend Kyle left his cushty job as a social media consultant to travel around Australia because he wanted to see the world before he settled down, and boy does he look like he’s having an incredible time. I understand that sometimes it’s just not possible to up and leave, and there might be people who depend on you, but if you feel like you need the inspiration, then go. Do it.
“And then there is the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” – Randy Komisar.
It’s OK to change your mind…
Now is the time to do that – if what you studied isn’t what you would like to do, then that is OK. You might be thinking ‘shit, well I’ve wasted a lot of money there’, but ultimately, your happiness to paramount and trumps all those exams and assignments. If it doesn’t feel right, then it’s totally OK to look at other degrees, other ways in to what you truly want to work on; apprenticeships, starting from an entry level job if thats what you want to do, starting a blog for God’s sake – that could lead you ANYWHERE (and I highly, highly recommend doing this by the way).
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that it’s OK. It’s OK to say no, it’s OK to go and find yourself. Don’t believe people when they you have to settle, because you f*cking don’t. It’s your life, and yadda yadda, it’s probably really easy for me to sit here and ‘preach’ but I’ve made my choices, and would they be different had I not had a child? Yeah – probably. Why wouldn’t they be? But I am happy. Happy with with my decisions; happy with my family, the fact that I’ll have a mortgage, happy with my job – and no, it’s not because everyone else my age is doing it. It’s because I can, and I CHOSE this life for me, myself and Isla. That’s literally what it’s all about. What you want.
Remember – it’s OK. You have the rest of your life to figure out your plan.
“Your twenties are your ‘selfish’ years. It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker with shit, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground.”
