This question has lingered over most of us our entire lives. From the time we were in elementary school, we were asked to reach into the future and pull out some kind of plan, some clarity of the unknowability of the future. Time and time again we, as humans, are asked to plunge blindly into a pool in which we don’t know the depth. To walk through a tunnel in which we can’t see a light on the other side. No way of knowing where the next step we take will lead us, or if it’s even the right one. Throughout our scholarly careers, in countless job interviews, and on a personal level, we are all forced to confront our lives and our futures everyday.
The idea of looking towards the future has always been one that’s fascinated me. As a kid I dreamed of being an interior designer and restoring old homes. Throughout middle school and high school, my dreams shifted to being a cruise director, traveling the world all the time, entertaining the masses. Now, at the ripe old age of 21, I find myself at some of the many crossroads that being an adult forces you into. With graduation coming in a year, and the door to my time as a student (in the traditional sense at least) quickly closing, my thoughts are seemingly always surrounding what I want my life to look like. I know this definitely isn’t the case for everybody. Some people are in denial, ignoring the fact that massive changes are about to take place in their lives until those changes are upon them. Some people channel their stress about the future into their work, doing anything and everything they can in order to secure the life they’ve been dreaming about forever.
I don’t see myself fitting into either of those categories. I’m somewhere in between. As someone whose mind never stops racing, weighing the pros and cons of any future life changes is just another conversation in my head before I drift off to sleep. However, there is a part of me that is absolutely terrified of a world without the safety net of education, or at least an educational environment. The feeling of working to prepare yourself for the real world is far less daunting than actually entering it… hopefully nobody’s having an existential crisis yet.
But back to the question at hand. Where do I see myself in five years? I hope that in five years I’ll be settled. Whatever that means. I hope I’ll have my own apartment (or house, but let’s be realistic). I hope that I won’t be living in Philadelphia and I hope that I’ll be working at a job I love, doing something pertaining to writing, or at the very least being of-service to people. The grayest of gray area’s for me right now is what I want my career to look like, so I guess I’ll weigh some options. Right here, right now.
The Subaru dealership that I’ve worked at for the past four years would gladly hire me as a salesperson if I gave them the opportunity (believe me, they’ve asked several times). I absolutely love the job I do now, so stepping up and actually selling the product I love with people who I genuinely love spending time with seems like an ideal outcome. I don’t see this as a permanent position though. Truthfully, I know I would want more than a life of selling cars in rural Pennsylvania and working every Saturday. However, having this opportunity definitely takes some of the pressure off of graduation. It buys me time to figure out what I really want to do, but it also leads me to an even greater crossroad.
How do I pursue journalism? Especially the specialized kind that I want to work in? How do I get recognized as an automotive journalist? Who will take an interest if I start writing about my travels? Do I really want to take a journalism job if it means working in a cubicle everyday and wearing a shirt and tie? Do I have the guts to create content, conduct interviews, and produce a product that people want to invest their time into? I know I just threw a ton of questions at you, theoretical reader, but these are all the considerations I have to make in figuring out my future (also my head just started spinning while writing all of that so…). I recently started a car blog for a new media marketing class, something I’ve found very relevant and rewarding. That – and of course publishing on Loco – is what gives me the most hope for my future as a journalist right now.
If I find myself without success in the world of journalism, the other career option I’ve considered is becoming a real estate agent. Again, a job I know I’d love, fitting people with the right house for them. But, the question then arises, how would I use my degree?
In the end, I don’t know where I’ll end up in five years. Whether I’m in London working as a journalist, Portland as a realtor, or still stuck in Philly working at a suburban car dealership, my only hope is that I’ll be fulfilled in what I do, and right now any of those options would check that box immediately. On a more practical note, I would also like to be able to pay the bills and afford nice things, but then again, money can’t buy happiness.
One thing that usually brings me peace when I’m thinking about the future is knowing that it isn’t permanent. Nothing is. People change career paths everyday, so there’s no need for us to beat ourselves down if we can’t find a job that’s the perfect fit right out of college. Also, we’re all members of Gen-Z here, who knows if any of us will ever be able to do adult things like buy a house or if the planet will even be alive in another five years, so no need to stress. The future will come at you one way or another, sometimes all you can do is sit back and wait for life to show you the right path.
