Now What: life after college

Well, one could get an INTERNSHIP. The ambitious student or recent graduate INTERN then works zealously to impress an organization that often has zero intention or capacity to hire them, all for the highly sought after “experience” which will give them an “edge” on those elusive paying jobs.

One could get a JOB. Or two. Or three. The current recession/unemployment/inflation hysteria makes a compelling case to find as many jobs as possible now, before they all evaporate into thin air (and apparently precipitate on India or China). No matter if it is seasonal work, minimum wage, obviously dead-end, or mind-numbingly mundane. One has rent to pay and a strong desire to be financially independent as soon as possible. And most compellingly, I think, a sense of purpose and control over life.

Or, one could go to graduate school. This goes against the -very strong- urge to throw off the shackles of institutional learning and enter the “real world”. One must submit, once again, to the thralls of studentdom, not the least of which is the sheer mental discipline of working -very hard- to accumulate knowledge and make contacts that may or may not have a tangible benefit.

I’ve had internships, many internships, and am lucky enough to have a sufficiently stimulating job. The next adventure for me is a may be grad school, and the search is on to find the right school/program.  In the mean time, however, I’ll be making travel plans. There are many places yet to be seen, and there is no better time than the present.