Post Grad Plans

I'm a week into reality. I've just been catching up on life in general and taking a quick break from obligations. 

Graduating from college has been one of my biggest accomplishments/life moments thus far. I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended a prestigious four year university with scholarship and complete my degree in four years. Very few people are able to attend college and let alone finish in a timely manner. I am extremely lucky and it makes those long, hard nights of studying and self-doubt worth it. 

I was also fortunate enough to love the city I was living in and meet likeminded people with similar interests and goals. I don't think I would have made it all the way through - or enjoyed it as much as I did - without the friends I made here. We suffered through organic chemistry and bad TA's to waking up early for hikes and late nights on the Ave. We've been through the ups and downs of college and in general life, navigating haphazardly through all of the obstacles and somehow making it out in one piece. 

Graduation day itself was absolute mayhem. Friday was for Biology graduation and Saturday the large commencement. Corralling large groups of people is such a feat and so are group pictures. It was really awesome to celebrate this achievement surrounded by family and friends I've made along the way. Walking across the stage with my best friends will always be one of my favorite memories. Big thanks to the people who helped me. I definitely don't say it enough, but thank you for all of your support. 

Side note: one of the highlights of graduation day was Anna whipping out a hoagie during commencement. ICONIC. Also, big thanks to Hunter for shooting the high quality grad photos (find his work here) and Winnie for having an iPhone 7+ aka DEPTH EFFECT and taking the photos commencement day. 

So what’s up next?

GOOOOOOD QUESTION. Actually, no it's the dreaded question. 

I’ll be hanging around Seattle for the foreseeable future! I'm sticking with my current job at indi chocolate (come visit!). I'm really happy with where I'm at and excited to gain some work experience before moving on to higher education. Whether that be medical school, PA school, Masters in Public Health, who knows. All of that remains to be determined. 

Why are you doing that? You have a Biology degree...

Because I want to. There is no clause stating I have to use my degree right away or my degree at all. Sure, the most ideal situation is finding a career where I use my degree all the time. The reality of it is, very few people actually use the degree they complete and end up in a different profession. I'm constantly looking at jobs/professions in the field of biology, but many of them require higher education like a masters or PhD. Things I don't have.

With this in mind, I desperately need a break from school. I've been learning in a classroom setting for the past fifteen years. The idea of coming home from work and not having to study in the evening is enticing. I think (and hope) time off will make me appreciate education and motivate me to return eventually. For right now, I'm relishing this time off. 

In this time off, I want some real world experience. One thing my parents instilled in me is that no job is below you. A job is a job and you're making money. You can always learn something. I'm super lucky and love my job and the people I work with. I get to go down to Pike Place and meet people from all around the world, and not to mention work with chocolate. That's a win in my book. Supplementing work, I want to explore various professions and do some more shadowing. I have a lot of interests and I think I need to critically analyze and see where they could take me before I commit to a grad program. 

Plus, I want to focus on my personal growth in this time off. One area that slipped through the cracks during college were basics like physical health, nutrition, how to do taxes, changing a bike tire...you get the idea. Key life skills were sort of glossed over and this is probably the time to hone in on them. 

Who knows, what the future holds. Even though this job may not be forever, it may lead me into a career down the line. There's a weird expectation to have it all figured out right now and have this grandiose five year plan that will lead me to all my dreams and goals, but that isn't even remotely realistic. All I know is that I’m having fun and enjoying work and learning as much as I can about life and myself.