my QLC

[serendipidty]

Hi all,

I must say that I am so happy to know that other people feel the way I do. I was beginning to think it was just me! I will graduate this summer and am just completely lost. If one more person asks me, "what are you going to do now?" I will hit them. I dual-degreed in english lit and info. technology but have no idea what i want to do. At a profs and my parents urging, I applied and got accepted to graduate school (in communications) but am dreading starting that in the fall. I don't think I can handle more student loan debt and school. I have been trying to get a "real" job but nobody wants someone out of college without experience and the jobs I am suited for-majorwise do not interest me in the least.
I can't talk to anyone around me about it because I am the first person in my family to graduate from college. I have tried to talk to my siblings (who are in their 30s) and they just relay their current problems with their own married lives and tell me how lucky i am. My parents just think I have had to much caffeinne and need sleep. All of my friends look to me for advice, but who do I go to?
I just feel as if life is passing me by. I have all of these dreams but they seem to get farther and farther away as the days wind down to post graduate life. I feel like I am living a sham, everyone thinks I am just peachy and really I am falling apart. I just don't know what my next step should be. Does anybody have any thoughts? Am I just being pathetically whiny?

Thanks,
M

[Phoenix]

I don't think you're being whiny - I think the pressures of real life are starting to hit you. When I graduated, I knew that I didn't want to go into my area of study for my degree either, but it was too late to change my major and incur more debt. Which led me to the thought of What DO I do now???

I would suggest not going the route of grad school if you're not wanting to go at this point. You may just be miserable there and have no motivation to do well, which will hurt you if you drop out and decide to go back later. Then people will ask why your GPA was so bad. And you will have more debt.

I definitely hear you on the "you have no experience" for the real world jobs. It's tough out there...I graduated in 2000 and have been trying to find work on and off since then. I keep hearing the "you're a new grad" comment and the "hmmm" when they look and see you have almost no experience although you've done internships in college and you've busted your butt and made trying to find a real job a job in itself.

I'd suggest looking into a field that interests you and trying to apply for some jobs there. Jobs that you know you could do, although you don't have the experience or background. If you have the motivation and intelligence to learn, that may be enough. These jobs may be long shots, so I'd also suggest trying to apply to something in your major. I know it doesn't interest you (as it doesn't me) but that may be a foot in the door to get that year or two of experience where you could maybe move on to a bigger or better job (or at least pay off some of your school debt). Or -- have people look at you like "oh, ok, you have a bit of experience in the working world."

These are just suggestions. Don't give up on your dreams. My dream is to go back to school one day. Although with all the financial issues adding up, it won't happen for another 3 years at least. But I still keep the hope that I will get there. I just need something to tide me over for a few years till then. :)