First of all congratulations. We did it. After all the blood, sweat, tears, and absurd amounts of money we have earned a degree. For many of us, life after graduation can be filled with many ifs, whens, and hows. Having graduated a semester early in December this process started early than most graduating seniors. Maybe I was too naive about the job search. Maybe I chose the wrong degrees to study. Or maybe (just maybe) it just isn't time for me to start my big girl job. I'm one of those people that believes that there's a reason and purpose for everything. As you might have remembered in a previous blog post, after three months of interview after interview I still was getting nothing. I was interviewed for my dream job after college. I thought I was set. I forgot about the other interviews and stopped sending in applications because I full heartily believed I was done trying to find a job for the rest of my life. The wait was finally going to be over.

That's when I got the phone call (of the many others I would receive in the near future). I was there second choice. It had been a hard decision to make, but the employers decided to go with another candidate. I was baffled. I had no idea of where to go from there. All of a sudden the blood, sweat, and tears seemed useless to me. My degrees were pieces of paper that served no use or purpose to the real world. They simply were there in a pile of other papers, waiting to be used as scratch paper for my doodles instead of being hung and framed like others. I was ashamed and confused at what I was going to do. I had made plans and truly believed that I would be staying in Minnesota for the rest of my life until this had happened.

Selfie before one of the many interviews I had per week

For a couple of weeks I remained in a bum. I applied for jobs but became overly emotional when completing the job applications. I wasn't applying for the job because I wanted it. I was simply applying for the jobs because it was the thing to do. Then one night at the bookstore one of my friends dad asked how the post graduation life was going. I stuttered trying to think of an eloquent way to tell him that I was still searching for a job. I was ashamed of myself and for my parents. I had wasted their money, time, and effort to put me into college for what seemed to be all for nothing. So I told him, like many other family friends that I was "still searching for the right job for me". One of the best advice that I received this year from him as well as others was this; take a year off after college to see what you want to do. For himself, he decided to work at a year at a ski resort. His wife did something similar and worked as a flight attendant in order to travel the world.

I was baffled at the idea of taking a year off after college for evaluation. Yes, I had known some friends take gap years (which is before going to college) but I had never heard of doing something like this after college. So I looked into programs and began applying to post college programs. In April I heard the news that I had gotten into TAPIF to go back to France. Yes, I was overjoyed to get into the program but this wasn't what I had planned to do after college. I thought that I would be working for a large company by now typing away on a computer wearing the hottest blazer and heels. Until today, I questioned if I was doing the right thing until I saw this video from motivational speaker Gary Vaynerchuck. Suddenly everything became solidified about my move to France. Yes, I don't know all the details yet about moving yet to France. Yes, I am scared. Yes, this is going to take a chunk out of my bank account but I believe that I am making the right choice by making this move.


I've decided to do something that isn't 100% practical. Instead, I'm following my dreams of living in France for a year and seeing and experiencing a new part of the world. I'm excited and nervous about all of this. No, I don't have the next two years planned out for my life anymore but I do now this; that whatever I choose to do, that I enjoy doing it to the fullest extent.

So here's to you graduating seniors, we did it! It's time to step out into the world and stumble in every direction until we find what makes us happy. Until next time,