What College Can't Teach You

Ah, the new graduate. The time when the world becomes your oyster, when all those dreams in college culminate into "real world" adventure. This is the last step into the first, the stage when you "grow up." So what the hell does a new grad do next?

See the funny thing about college is, you're kind of trained to think in a certain way. You have to find meaning in the abstract, to explore old ideas in new ways, and to attend class when you know that if you miss it, you fail. But then again, you can always do it over again, right? Well, not if you want to achieve success someday.

I never worried about all that while working towards my coveted English degree. I always felt like I had a handle on things in school, and never really considered what it would feel like to have all of those late-night ramen-filled crash study sessions to end. To have completed the standard of what's expected of Americans these days: "Go to college, get a good job." The end. No further explanation.

The hardest thing about graduating is knowing you can do absolutely anything, but having no real vision of what that path is. You want to take the world by the reigns and become something... But what... And when?

Initially, I found the job search process rather fun. You can tool around on the Internet for hours, researching opportunities and pay scales, dreaming of landing that "perfect" position with that amazing company.

That lasted for about a week.

It's the little things you start to notice that wear on you: how to pay for lunch, whether you can afford a new swimsuit to replace that awful stretched out one with holes that accompanied you in your last two years of academia, how to sneak on a golf course so you can get a few swings in without taking out another loan.

But then, the real worries set in: Is my landlord going to appreciate an IOU? Can my car run on love alone?

And then you begin to realize that college isn't the end of anything. It just propels you into a new kind of beginning of an old cyclical event - finding a J-O-B. People, they say, have been doing this for years. I don't know how they lasted. But then again, the world does need... ditch diggers...toilet cleaners... ruminators? (Not so much.)

I found that the best way to stay afloat in the unemployment pool is to find creative ways to supplement the nothingness going into my bank account. It might not satisfy your landlord, or get you cross-country in a gas hog, but you can at least earn a couple of meals a day.

So what's my trick? If you're reading this, you know that AC provides a great community for people like me (and you) to get paid for doing something you love.

I've recently embarked on a mission to earn the rent by writing for AC. As I understand it, some other fellow writers are trying to see if they can make a living writing for AC as well. While looking for a job, I don't have the luxury of typing all day, but in just a couple of hours, I've managed to buy myself a tuna sandwich (which is MUCH more appetizing than Ramen noodles), and even had a little extra 'sum'n sum'n" for my feline companions.

It's no the easiest thing in the world to do, but hey - it beats (at least for me) scrubbing toilets and trudging through sewer beds for plumping pipes. All you have to do is sit down and think about a great story you heard, an anecdote, or something you love to do. Anything that sparks your thoughts is enough to get you started.

Then, you write. Write like no one's watching, like you never have to show it to anyone. This will help get the evil "That sounds terrible" critic off your left shoulder, and bust out a piece in no time. The tricky part, of course, is going back and editing yourself. But it must be done, and it's worth it if you want to get the highest offer possible.

So maybe I'm not saving up for my retirement, or earning trips to Jamaica, but for now, while I'm looking for that inimitable position, it works. Next time you dream of free lunch or paying for parking, sit down at your desk, think about something that stirs you, and write away. You might just surprise yourself, and you'll get a little monetary bonus to show off to all your non-published friends.