Somehow the years have flown and many of us are staring down the neck of our last year as undergraduates at NC State. Feeling a little uneasy about it? Yeah, me too along with the vast majority of other seniors you pass on campus these days. 

It is an exhilarating, exhausting and fulfilling time in our academic careers. However, it feels as much to me like staring into an abyss with no indication of what lies on the other side or how to get there. 

If nothing else, I hope we can all take comfort in knowing we are in good company when it comes to the post-grad panic. 

If you’re anything like me, all of the foundational life decisions that we’ve made to get where we’re at now have felt relatively charted. From middle school sports, to high school extracurriculars and where we ended up for college, it was all pretty predictable. Sure we had some say and maybe even some doubts, but it seemed like there were always several right answers and a nice big safety net below in case we needed it. 

Things look a little different this time around. We’re about to make some pretty significant leaps into uncharted territory and we aren’t exactly planning them at the kitchen table back home. 

So, where do we even start? How do we choose between grad school, a gap year before a full time position, immediately going corporate or looking into more internships first to narrow down our career goals? 

I’ve found it to be a tight line to walk between taking inspiration from those I look up to and admire and not crossing over into comparison mode. 

I will say, however, that inspiration is everywhere. We can’t justify a complete lack of direction when we are constantly surrounded by people making incredible plans and mentors who have years of experience on us, just waiting to be asked for advice.

If you see someone with a life that fits your style, reach out to them. People love to know that they’ve inspired others and are almost always willing to explain how they built the life they are living.  

This is also one of the most important phases to stay open minded during. You never know when that conversation with a stranger on a hike or in the row behind you at a concert could shed some brand new perspective on your options. Or, better yet, give you ideas you hadn’t even thought of. 

I know that I have been on both sides of that coin, which has shown me that it’s truly a team effort. Nothing unites people like the shared journey of our uncharted futures. It just happens to be an uncomfortable yet integral part of the human experience. 

Don’t forget to celebrate with your friends as they go through this process too. You will only get out of your community what you put in and this is the time to bolster those around you. 

While we research, plan, apply and interview, it’s also important to take a step back and appreciate where we are now because we’ll never be in this stage of life again.

It’s a sweet time and while we may feel bogged down by our responsibilities on a given day, looking back many of us will realize that we were relatively unencumbered. Our responsibilities gave our days purpose, but they weren’t life and death and as high-stakes as they felt in the moment. 

With a little bit of gratitude for where we are at, an open mind about where we are going and some patience while we piece it all together, we’re all going to figure it out just fine.