It’s all coming down to the wire now, and before you all know it, you’re going to be standing among thousands of other graduates about to be thrown into the real world. But until then, I’m sure much of you, like myself, are undergoing multiple panic attacks on a daily basis, wondering what it is you’re going to do once you’re finally done with school.

There’s a lot of pressure at this point. You’re stuck between looking forward to being liberated of any academic responsibility, and knowing that you will have to let go of the safety blanket of school. For over 15 years, you had a routine – wake up, go to class, go to work, come back home, and it all repeats the next day. School is stressful, but what’s more stressful is trying to figure out what it is you want to do with the degree that will be thrust upon you at the end of your undergraduate journey. Will your salary be enough to fund your everyday lifestyle? Will you make enough money to pay off your student loans? What if you hate your job? What if you can’t get a job, and you’re stuck with crippling debt? No wonder you’re exhausted every single day, having these things bounce around your mind constantly.

I, myself, am extremely lost with what I’m going to do after graduating. I’m slowly discovering that looking for suitable internships for a Pure Mathematician is proving to be exceedingly difficult. And with enough incessant scrolling through pages and pages of Business and Public Relations-related internships, I’m starting to second guess myself, wondering if I went into the right field. But I’m not letting myself get too worked up about it, and I’m not going to stress myself out about it. I know that in five to ten years, everything will be okay – and you all should know that, too. Right now, it’s hard and it sucks because there is too much uncertainty in the road ahead – it’s not knowing what’s going to happen between now and then that’s difficult.

I advise everyone to just take a step back and breathe. These days are supposed to be the best days of your life, and you’re supposed to be enjoying every second of it, and nothing is going to screw that up more than thinking you have to have it all together, and have your life figured out. Enjoy the time that you have right now, because once you actually do land a career, no matter how perfect it may be, there are going to be days where you will miss the routine of being in school.

And with that, I leave you with some wise words from Andy Bernard:

Have a great weekend, everyone!