Now What?

That’s it. I’m officially the owner of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts.

I majored in Advertising and Public Relations, graduated summa cum laude, was in a ton of clubs, led the PRSSA chapter, and wrote my way through four years of higher education.

Now what?

Well, I’m not exactly sure.

Unlike some of my classmates who have gone right on to jobs, graduate school, or unemployment, I’m continuing with the same old routine. I’m still working part-time at Solid Cactus, freelance writing on the side, and soon, I’ll resume classes to finish up my master’s degree – also from Marywood University. It seems like nothing has changed, though I know it has.

Because of that piece of paper and four years of hard work, joy, and frustration, I now have this magical ticket that will allow for me to better function in the real world. Granted, I’m not sure if this ticket is as cool as the one from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but still, I can dream.

I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, however, I am now more sure than ever that I want to be in communications. I want to be immersed in advertising, public relations, SEO, marketing, social media, and of course, writing. I want to continue to learn and gain more knowledge of the industry. I want to spend my time crafting messages. I want to be challenged.

This feeling that I’m in the right place is quite a relief. Before I graduated, I questioned what I was doing. I thought about changing my major at the last minute, dropping out of graduate school, and running away to Europe. Don’t worry Scranton – I didn’t pack my bags.

I think the panic that I experienced is something that everyone experiences in his or her life at one time or another. For some, upon graduation, that pang of fear and excitement hits you like the train ride to your new job in the city. Or maybe, that rushing burst of anxiety came at a time when you got back a paper only to find that the professor didn’t like your ideas. Try harder next time and oh, by the way, maybe you should reconsider what you’re doing.

Don’t worry. If you haven’t felt it yet, you will and when you do, remember that it’s a confirmation that you’re on the brink of something beautiful. Change is on the way, in some form, and you just need to have faith that you’ll be guided in the right direction. You’ll meet people who will leave handprints on your heart. You’ll see things that you only dreamed of. You’ll experience pain and rapture and all of those other emotions that you’re too afraid to even think of right now.

I know I will.

Congratulations to my fellow classmates. It’s time to enter the chocolate room.