Freshly graduated young people if it does not go according to plan
...an unconventional view…
A champion/ tower of hope
Right now you are feeling that nothing
can stop you and you can take on the world. This is a good feeling and you
can’t stop radiating this positive energy everywhere you go. One glance into
your eye and a person can instantly become motivated to tackle their own
problems. Especially to the ones who come from poorer backgrounds, you now
represent possibility. You might not realize it now but you have become a
positive figure to look at. When your next door neighbors chastise their kids
they now say “look at Jane/John…don’t you want to be like him/her …?” There is
no stopping it whether you like to or not. Some
even start sending their kids your way in coveted ways so that you possibly
inspire them…using the silliest of excuses. You have managed to get a degree from a prestigious institution. This is
great in its own right, you deserve a medal of honor for this [of
course some have it easier than others]. You
know it as well as they do [them kids and parents], that getting one is no
child’s play. Not to sugar-coat it [lest some get diabetes haha], there are some
fellow comrades who’ve taken a bit longer than expected…but isn’t it what the edge is all about ?...so long as you live to tell the tale…This is
witnessed by the sleepless nights you had in the laboratories, be it code that was refusing to run or some tough concept
refusing to stick to the brains or when you were trying as hard to fill in the
formula sheet with the smallest possible writing and how it all couldn’t just
fit in…We all have our stories after-all. Personally I wanna congratulate you
for walking this mile and managing to come out alive in the end...but there can be an interesting twist of events for some…this alienation from
all the hype of being a graduate and possibly having a brighter future than all
your friends from the hood.
Into the abyss of the unknown
The most difficult thing to deal with for some is that feeling of nothingness ( - worse still if you don't find a job). All of a sudden there is no longer that pressure to submit any
project/test/exam/assignment. Life is now rather pointless…I mean
after-all you have done what they had all said, " ...you should get to varsity get a
degree you will be better off..." - so why this empty feeling ? You have always felt a bit of this feeling every holiday but brushed it off as you busied yourself looking for a vacation job or visiting friends/relatives. Now it seems its out in full force to get you and it can be one hell of a ride...
All those good words about you, (how you’ve managed to bring the good out of a rough situation)…are now calling for you to produce what everyone expects…(the money). Personally you feel you need to live up to the rhetoric. Even before the end of the degree, you had applied to all the companies you knew existed and up to now, nothing has materialized. What's really wrong with me - you ask yourself. You have now spent all you had and there is nowhere else to get the extra money that a student always needs [to buy photosynthesis/Avogadro's number/chlorophyll/whatever excuse for the school project haha]. You have sold all your fancy belongings and you are even debating if you really need a smartphone - after-all you can always go to an internet cafe to check your mails. Whatsapp groups, who needs whatsapp when i can be with family and share stories. Estranged from home life you feel alone, and essentially you are alone - and you feel it, no more project partner, no more group work, no more classes, no more lectures, you miss your favorite series, Facebook/Instagram updates from your friends, being the loudest one on twitter …
You have that old friend Peter who did not manage to get to varsity but rather he's making ends meet somehow and it seems he is better off. You borrowed him some money a few months ago to go to the city and make hand delivery of applications now he wants it back. You know if you don't pay him he's going to force you to join his illegal dealings being the ethical scholar you don't wanna do that...
All those good words about you, (how you’ve managed to bring the good out of a rough situation)…are now calling for you to produce what everyone expects…(the money). Personally you feel you need to live up to the rhetoric. Even before the end of the degree, you had applied to all the companies you knew existed and up to now, nothing has materialized. What's really wrong with me - you ask yourself. You have now spent all you had and there is nowhere else to get the extra money that a student always needs [to buy photosynthesis/Avogadro's number/chlorophyll/whatever excuse for the school project haha]. You have sold all your fancy belongings and you are even debating if you really need a smartphone - after-all you can always go to an internet cafe to check your mails. Whatsapp groups, who needs whatsapp when i can be with family and share stories. Estranged from home life you feel alone, and essentially you are alone - and you feel it, no more project partner, no more group work, no more classes, no more lectures, you miss your favorite series, Facebook/Instagram updates from your friends, being the loudest one on twitter …
You have that old friend Peter who did not manage to get to varsity but rather he's making ends meet somehow and it seems he is better off. You borrowed him some money a few months ago to go to the city and make hand delivery of applications now he wants it back. You know if you don't pay him he's going to force you to join his illegal dealings being the ethical scholar you don't wanna do that...
What now
Long story short. It can turn out to be what you did not expect, but you should keep your hopes high. Its time to hope and pray (or summon positive energy - for the non religious. Even if you don't see it, believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.
