Don't Pay the Government for the Rest of Your Life

It amazes me that Winter Break is almost over. My senior year will be a blast from the past in no time. I really don't know what to do with myself. I remember my senior year of high school like the back of my hand. I remember I couldn't wait to graduate, but this year is causing a different feeling. I don't want it to end, and I think it's because I don't know what to expect after commencement. Maybe I'm thinking about it too early, but it's the rest of my life.

I enjoy journalism, but let's face it, my educational qualifications mean nothing in the real world. It's all about experience, and I really don't have any. Regardless of what I know I can do, when it comes down to it, people want to see what you've done, and I've got nothing. It's really no one's fault but my own. I'm not big on getting involved in extra curricular activities, but I should have anyway. There really isn't much I can do about it now. The jobs I can get aren't going to impress my family. A low paying writing job in comparison to my education will sound like a waste of money.

If anything, I was offered a full-time job with the new Masontown publications after I graduate. I know in journalism you have to work your way to the top, but this job isn't ground zero; it's below it. It does have benefits like being able to walk to work, live at home, working with old friends, gaining experience and, most importantly, being a part of something that has the potential for greatness. I just have to weigh that against the disadvantages: living at home, low wages and turning something that's practically non-journalistic in its entirety into something that is in a town of 3,000.

I think that's why I still have law school in the back of my mind. My parents say they just want me to be happy, but I need to show them my success. I don't see $30,000 a year cutting it. My dad basically only has one thing to say about my life after graduation: "Whatever you do, find some way to go into business for yourself so you don't end up paying the government for the rest of your life."