Taking A Year Off After Graduation

It was like any other day. The same old morning routine as I reached out for my phone to dive into the latest social media updates while sipping a hot cuppa... and that’s when I remembered. It was graduation day and a certain black robe was waiting for me.

Was I excited? I don’t know.

My friends and family were certainly happy. “I’m so proud of you” were the first words I heard that morning. It was my mom. There were two kisses on my cheek that day. That’s one more than the usual as I was completing college.

Six of my closest friends and I decided to get to our campus early to spend some time walking around the place. A simple stroll in the gallery soon turned into a discussion on what we were going to do next. Some had already taken up internships as copywriters and journalists, and some were keen on doing their masters. And me? I was blank.

I didn’t know what to say and kept quiet till it was time. I received my degree as my name got called out and did all the regular stuff that followed. Once it all faded, the big question struck me: What am I going to do next?

In college, not everyone knows what to do in their career. There are many who do, but I’m talking to all those who don’t know what to do next. Yes, we are the majority. Not saying that I’m proud of it, but sometimes not knowing is not so bad.

I made the big decision to take a year off. Probably the best decision I made at that time. I talked to my mom who seemed okay with it (at least she sounded okay). But sitting at home was not an option either. I didn’t want to do any random job that would take up my time.

I looked around desperately for something in my interest and after two weeks of trying, my college professor offered me a part time job as his assistant. I was so happy.

I had 4 hours of work every day of compiling study materials, preparing test papers and sometimes even correcting them. It left me enough time to explore what I really wanted to do. There are many directions a literature major can go but to know what you really want takes time.

I spent the remaining time of my day learning. Every day, I’d open my laptop and read. Literature, blogs, stories, news articles, and almost everything that interested me back then. I was learning to play the guitar, learning Spanish, working out, improving my personality, and weighing out career options.

I’d talk to all my friends who were working and studying and learn by their experiences if it’s worth taking that turn. I canceled out a few options that didn’t fit into my goals and struck some higher courses off the list that weren’t useful for me.

Then came the backpacking trip. I traveled across the country using the cheapest modes. Slept in weird motels and met some interesting people. Traveling was something I had longed for and I finally got to do it. It all worked out, as I could do my part-time job online as well.

Traveling gave me the idea for my new career path. I sat in public libraries for doing my work and that’s where I saw students studying, making notes, and looking for good study materials. There were so many of them.

Meanwhile, I had started to enjoy my job to a point where it didn’t feel like work anymore but became my leisure time activity. I liked reading and summarizing the notes. My professor was happy with my work and that’s when I got the idea of becoming a tutor myself.

There were some amazing prospects for ESL teachers all around the world and that’s something I’d love to do. And just like that, I had found my way, and taking the year off helped rediscover myself. Was I excited? I don’t know.

Having figured it out, I was more scared than ever. What if I couldn’t? But I didn’t have any more time to waste. So I put those thoughts behind me and started working on getting my TESOL certification. I was very much focused on completing the course and once I did, I applied to some schools and private institutions.

Learning a new language was helpful for my resume for teaching ESL to Latin American students and all the reading that I did added to my credibility. I chose to join a private institution as I thought the students there would be more keen on learning the new language.

Three years into teaching, I have worked with some amazing students, traveled to two countries and started my very own online classroom. Things just happen to you when you love what you do, right?

Taking some time off and investing in yourself helps a lot. Not knowing what you really want keeps you on the run. Don’t panic. Don’t drop out. Finish what you start.

It seems like I am moving in the right direction. I love my job, but how long will I do it? Again, I don’t know. Maybe, I will keep doing it or maybe not. Maybe, I’ll take another year off to know.

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When You Feel Like You're Going Backwards

It was 2017, and the lease with my three friends was about to be up.

One was moving for a job, one was getting married, and the other was looking forward to independence in her own place. I was happy for each of them. They had exciting things coming in their lives, each on different paths, but moving ever forward.

But I felt like I was going backwards.

I've Been Writing: Lessons from Self-Publishing

“I’VE BEEN WRITING.”

I told a close friend this right as our Christmas break started. I had spent the last few days in coffee shops recuperating from the fall semester. And by “recuperating,” I mean hours on end were spent sipping coffee and writing poetry. My goal for the break was to be more disciplined in writing poems—stretch my poems in length, depth, symbolism, imagery... and stretch myself in the process.

This wasn’t a decision on a whim, though. (I mean, who just decides to dedicate their Christmas break to being disciplined in poetry?)

As I was finishing the semester, I got an email saying five poems I submitted to a print magazine had all been rejected.

A Millennial Learning From Gen Z

Miraculously, and I do not say that lightly, I was hired at my dream school as an adjunct professor.

Up until August of 2020, I had little to no interaction to the generation monikered Gen Z.

I let a few years lapse between undergrad and grad school and managed to only have night classes. Like I do with anyone of any age, I don’t judge them based off of assumptions and stereotypes.

That is until the night before I began teaching.

I couldn’t sleep as worries pummeled me: Did my outfit portray I’m cool but also professional? Do they even say “cool”? Will they listen to me? Will my examples relate?

To The In Between

I am writing to inform you that I have decided to accept your offer to stay here for a to-be-determined amount of time. I’ve decided to occupy the space that you’ve provided me with here because it seems I have no other choice. I’ve tried my hardest to get out of this space, to crawl and dive and roll my way out of this weird and uncomfortable living situation. This is worse than any bad roommate I’ve ever had, for the record. I’ve tried to avoid giving people this address when they ask “what are you doing with your life?” or “where are you now?” because I quite honestly haven’t bothered to memorize it either. Every time I think I’m moving out and I’ve convinced myself this is it, I fall right back on my ass and am reminded, abruptly (and painfully if I must say so myself), that it is not my time.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: 4 Tips to Overcome Post-Grad Regret

Just as you can imagine, college graduation season is packed with all the emotions. You feel relief, excitement, stress and pride. The emotion most people don’t associate with graduation and what I didn’t expect to feel, though, is regret.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Mountaintop Moments

Removed from the college bubble and re-planted in a new life, the field is wiped clean again. I have to again make a real, conscious decision about where I fit in and how I stack up. There seem to be metrics in place for who’s “winning” post-grad—high-power job? committed relationship? best apartment? coolest city?—but there’s no prize. New York is enormous, and social media is a daily tidal wave, and there have been days when I feel so small.

On Making Yourself At Home

When I was 18 years old, Boston College became my home because I immersed myself in the community and grew as a person through deep and meaningful conversations.

Now that I’ve graduated, home is a little harder to define.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A Letter to the Recent Grad

I took graduating really hard. Like, really hard. I left school having absolutely nothing figured out with absolutely no answers, and spent most of the summer crying to my parents and denying the fact that I could no longer get dollar drinks at the bar (one of the rudest awakenings about post-grad life…). I felt lost without my friends, without the walls of UNH that protected us all so neatly, and without my identity as a student.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Graduate), Part II

In the first post I wrote for this series I talked about not wanting to leave Nashville after I graduated at the end of this semester. I talked about my fear of losing comfort and the home that I have built in a city I didn’t have to be convinced into adoring. I even emphasized the point by writing three times in italics—I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave. When I went back to read this post five minutes ago, I almost laughed out loud into my mocha.

Since I wrote that post I have decided to stay in Nashville and the voice of fear that screamed loud about not wanting to leave screams even louder about not wanting to stay.

I don’t want to stay. I don’t want to stay. I don’t want to stay.

GraduationEthan MillerJune 29, 2017FeaturedComment

Taking A Year Off After Graduation

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