Easter is a holiday that I should have cherished this year. After all, it was the first chance for me to escape the confines of my smelly house and eat something besides a peanut butter sandwich.
However, this year I was a bit apprehensive about coming home for Easter because I knew that the first question out of at least half of our 24 houseguests’ mouths was going to be, “What are you planning to do after graduation?”
As always, my prediction was correct, and that question came up several times over the course of lunch. The sarcastic side of me wanted desperately to respond, “I think I’m going to move to L.A. and try my hand at porn. I hear the industry needs a skinny kid who’s hung like a Chihuahua and has a midget fetish.”
Instead of giving my grandmother a heart attack, I decided to stick with the truth. I’ve got no idea what I’m doing after May 23, but I’m keeping my options open. I’ve had a couple of leads, but a big part of me wants to go back to a restaurant job for the summer.
It was tough to admit, but that job would buy me some time to find out what I really want to do. I would also have a lot of schedule flexibility, which would allow me to attend all of my friend’s graduation parties and make an ass out of myself in front of their relatives. That won’t happen if I have to start working on June 1.
I’m also not ready to get up at 6 a.m. either. 10:30 a.m. is fine with me. As much as I love Howard Stern, I’m not ready to make him a regular part of my day until I have found my true calling.
Now my intentions with this article are not to discredit anyone who has found a nine-to-five in a field that they are interested in. I’m envious of anyone who has found a job that they are fascinated by. I wish I knew what I wanted to do with myself so my parents could tell their friends that they spent over a hundred grand on college for their son to become something besides a waiter.
The reason I write is to assuage the fears of anyone else who is in my current situation. More than half of us will not have “real” jobs by the time we leave this place, but we will have a great education and valuable degree. That will be worth a lot in the long run, and soon enough we will all find the employment that we are looking for.
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