The future is now, go out and get it

As the semester winds down to the end and students prepare to graduate, it's natural to ask, "What next?"

Most people have anxiety about what to do after graduation. If it's your bachelor's degree you are getting, you really need to wonder about how you will use it. If it is an associate's you are getting, don't stop there.

There are way too many studies out there that prove the higher your education goes, the higher your pay scale goes along with it.

I know way too many people who don't even use the bachelor's degrees they earn, though.
The first thing you should be looking at is whether you did enough during school to get experience in your chosen profession while you were earning your degree.

Did you seek out internships? Did you create your own job to find that experience? Did you do enough study of that subject on your own? The second thing you need to look at is whether you are willing to relocate for that job. While it is true that Texarkana is growing into a metroplex and new jobs are coming to this town all of the time, we aren't quite there yet.

You can stick around like many people in this town with a bachelor's and work in retail or fast food. Or you can do something like what I did.

As a reporter, I have spent my time at TC chasing down the interviews, starting my own website and freelancing to other mediums.

In the long-run, prospective employers in my industry are going to look at my portfolio and my entrepreneurship and know that I went above and beyond to get what I wanted.
Now I know not everyone wants to be a journalist, but almost any field of interest offers opportunities for you to gain experience while still in college.

If you are going into the medical profession, did you volunteer at hospitals and retirement homes?

If you are going into IT, did you go the extra mile and get those certifications?
Did you volunteer your IT skills to any companies?Did you make up business cards and hand them out to people with computers?
If you want to teach, did you volunteer to help out as an assistant to local teachers?
Did you offer your skills as a substitute?
If you are an entertainer, did you participate in school plays and recitals?
Did you go to venues around town and try to get gigs?
Have you tried making movies or videos of your own?

Much of the world sees us as lazy Americans. There is no need to fit that stereotype if you are really driven. "Carpe Diem" is a poem written by Horace. It is a Latin term meaning "seize the day."

What it all boils down to is applying yourself and utilizing your time wisely.

So what ARE you going to do after graduation? Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors the prepared mind."  Are you prepared?
It's not too late to start.

The future is mine to create as I see fit. I am the catalyst to my own destiny.
Don't wait for your future to come to you. Go out and get it.