There’s still time…

My sole goal for last summer was to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. By the time mid-August rolled around and I was packing for my senior year of college, I still hadn't found the answer. But, I realized that I still have time. Yes, I used to get annoyed when everyone I talked to would tell me "you still have time". I'd been hearing that phrase since high school and figured, "I'm graduating soon; I'm running out of time". But the truth is, the first job you take is unlikely to be what you do for the rest of your life. Don't freak out if you don't know what you want to do yet. Many people do transitional programs such as Teach for America or Americorps for a couple years. Business students may work for a consulting firm for 2-3 years, and then move on to do an MBA or get a job in private equity. There are also management development training programs where you rotate through several different functions before you decide which you want to focus on. If you're interested in research, you can take a research assistantship position in a lab before deciding if grad school is right for you.

Last summer, I told myself that I was going to finally decide between getting a job and going straight to graduate school. I did a lot of research. I did informational interviews, talked to professors and career advisors, and took the GRE and the GMAT just in case. And still, by the end of the summer, I hadn't had an epiphany yet. Apply for jobs or apply for grad school? I realize now that the best thing for me to do is to not rush into grad school. Don't go to grad school because you don't know what else to do. Don't go if you have no idea of what you want to do with the degree when you're done. Grad school is a huge commitment: time-wise and money-wise. Make sure you're committed. I realize now that I can do both: work for a few years and get some real-world experience, then go to grad school later if I still wish to do so.

If you don't know what you want to do with the rest of your life, don't freak out. You still have time. You have the rest of your life to figure it out.

-Fannie