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Show THE FORUM - MAY 15 14,2014 A personal account of before and after like what it hard to & realized that was most important would to It's it I compare graduate college. I it to eating a perfectly baked cookie. Or waking up one morning and realizing you had the right amount of to involve myself in anything love because it's happiness that has brought me so much, if not all of my I success. sleep. It's lovely, but it's Before graduation senior: The realiza- Second-semest- er tion of graduation is approaching, but I'm a little different than the rest. It's my 4th year at Westminster, could be graduating, but I have another semester. I've been asked 12 times this week if I'm graduating. It seems like I've got my spiel down, 'Well, I success. Aside from my major, I can be found tackling weeds at my urban agriculture internship, getting electrocuted by diving into lighting installations, jumping up and down to bass electronic music, articles or watching reading how-t-o besudden it All a of changed majors." repeats of Daenerys Targaryen's epic comes cool I'm not graduating yet. I'd battle scenes on Game of Thrones (with like to share what I've learned from besurround sound). senior. second semester a I've pulled all the little things Ive ing A victim of perfection and senioritis, learned from my interests and applied it I often display symptoms of procrastinato my visual communication strategies. tion and artistic temperament. It's frusIt's about how to apply my major to my trating fighting senioritis as a graphic interests, and it is constant thinking. for perThat's my key to success' and I hope I designer who has a set formula fection when it comes to design (minican inspire you to do the same. If you are malism, patterns, contrast, symmetry, one of the few who still have extra time, insert color theory, negative space, techy involve yourself in anything you love. It have the can't hurt. It'll don't I design jargon here), but only add to your success. or life for success, maybe Chill. Organize. Dive. Leap. Love. perfect formula Ido. You got this. yet Finding a (Not really, but that is what would happen if I wrote a SNL skit about it). I learned that everyone experiences these growing pains. The CEO of my company was constantly learning. My manager was constandy learning. People that I turned to for guidance and support at work weren't afraid to say I dont know. To them, admitting that was the opportunity to improve. I wasnt expected to know all the ' After graduation Coming into my last year at Westminster, I realized that it was most important to involve myself in anything I love because it's happiness that has brought me so much, if not all of my Its hard to describe what it feels like to graduate college. I would compare it to eating a perfectly baked cookie. Or waking up one morning and realizing you had the exact right amount of sleep. Its lovely, but its short-live- d. After graduation, theres the whole finding employment business you have to attend to. After procrastinating for months, I finally buckled down and applied to jobs around the country. When I was hired as an Account Manager at Friendemic, a social media engagement company in SLC, I felt like a champ. I was getting paid. I didn't have to do homework. I'm capable! About two weeks into my job, however, I quickly realized I had a lot to learn. Seeds of doubt were planted. Did I learn anything at Westminster? How do you even function in a work- answers. I was expected to be open to learning. Which is pretty awesome. After a few months of acclimating to a new routine and nailing down tasks, I felt like a new person. I had day-to-d- ay control over what I spent my free-tim- e on. And let me tell you, not having to worry about papers and assignments is the greatest. I literally can watch Game of Thrones all night and not have to worry about getting something done. Its okay to graduate and feel uncertain about what youre going to do. Nothing in life is certain. The only thing we can control is our own actions. So get out there and dont be afraid to learn something new. place? I my concerns with my manager, and he rapped about some discussed the world kinds of people and have expe- Emily Senkosky riences in a new way all things that I can add up. Writer beneficial to someone in Contributing "Traveling is always a terrific way to think would be After graduation a world of opportulearn about the world, said Christy Sief-- their career, Nickels said. Seifert said if graduates want to build nity opens up for a fresh batch of global ert, communication department chair. I citizens with a degree. know there are ways to do it cheaply, but resumes they need to volunteer or take So what are you going to do now? even so, not everyone has the means to classes abroad during that gap year. There is that inevitable question that do it "Otherwise, it can end up looking like vacation," Seifert said. Senior Meredith Nickels, commu- - a year-lon- g graduates are bound to many soon-to-face. Interning has its benefits as well. nication major, said she is doing an in- With so much opportunity, it is not ternship because she has to meet school Time is of the essence, and according to Seifert, interning gives graduates more always easy to choose, however. Career requirements in order to graduate. center coordinator Rebecca Richard says I hope to save up money and then be time to see what they are looking for in a career. that that is what the center is there for. able to travel next year," Nickels said. here are to 'We (the career center) "Interning after graduation is a great Traveling can be beneficial to gain world experience, which leads to gained way to develop additional skills, network guide students through their and try on a job without committing decisions," Richard said. "It helps perspective. Seifert said. "If ," if students start planning before gradua"If you have the money, traveling is a to anything tion date though." graduates can afford it, I think it's smart great way to explore different cultures, Seniors have a lot on their plate by the Seifert said to intern after graduation and really get a time the month of May comes around. Nickels said the benefits seem end- - feel for the field." Richards, from the career center, said less Finishing up coursework, meeting graduation requirements and making deci You gain insights into other cultures, to tailor the decision to the major. sions for their fast-approach- futures meet all be post-graduati- short-live- d. solid life truths, Drake style. Keni Nelson Sarah Kahn feels describe on full-time- I think it should depend on what you are looking for in your career," Richards said. "Not every major is the same with the same opportunities." Seifert recommends both traveling and internships. "I think either is a fabulous way to spend that fifth year before entering the workplace." Seifert said to find a way to give back going to make money, how we are going to advance in our careers that we forget that part of what we learn in college is how to be a good citizen," Seifert said. "Think about how your work and your life are contributing to the bet- terment of the world at large. Be a global citizen and take that responsibility sen- ously." how we axe |