Nobody puts baillee in the corner

May marks the one year anniversary of my college graduation. Looking at where I am in life as opposed to a year ago, I think I’m doing pretty well. I made Assistant Manager in less than a year. I’m financially stable for the first time in months. I no long listen to Childish Gambino and cry on my way home from work because a customer verbally assaulted me for upholding the Austin bag ban. However, I’m starting to get more and more people asking what I plan on doing with my life. Most have been more than supportive and offered many a resource. For that, I am eternally grateful. Some have been a bit more endearingly abrasive. If I had a nickel for every time some variation of the phrase “squandering potential” has been thrown around in reference to my present situation, I would have enough money to pay off my student loans.

I love learning, and I think education is one of the most valuable resources we have; however, I believe we need real world experiences to broaden our knowledge alongside core classes in specialized subjects. That’s why I opted to take a break in-between my undergraduate and graduate programs. I want to gain job experience. I want to continue working on my finances. I want to start paying on my undergrad loans. I want to write blog posts about my life people don’t read. But it should also be mentioned I definitely plan on going back to school to get my masters.

If I may speak candidly, I needed a break. I was an RA for three years. I had a desk job for three years. I was taking the same classes as a second semester sophomore straight out of the gate. Those last few weeks were grueling. By the time graduation rolled around, I was was relieved to be finished that I actually walked from the stage to the exit after receiving my fake diploma. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to live a Van Wilder existence where I get to gallivant around campus with all of the perks of college and no responsibilities, and I’ve always really wanted a bulldog; however, that’s in an alternate universe where I’m super wealthy, and Tara Reid is still socially relevant.

To those who decided to dive straight into their graduate work, I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. I know how rigorous the course loads are, and I know personally I am not ready for it. I plan to start looking into a graduate program for Fall 2016, but right now, I’m comfortable where I am. I have an amazing job I don’t dread going to every day. I have a great boss and talented coworkers. I’m immersed in a creative space five days a week, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Yeah sure, it’s work, but it’s the work I like. There are terrible places I could be spending my graduate sabbatical, and this is absolutely not one of them.

My endgame is to be a professor, but I need to figure out what exactly it is I want to profess. I have no clue what will happen between then and now, but I’m okay with it. I have time. I’m not even 23 yet, so I’m not on the verge of spontaneous combustion, and everyone still likes me (I’m sponsored this week by your middle school playlist. Can you pass me a Halo Mountain Dew, please?) For the first time in my life, I’m okay with uncertainty. It’s done me pretty well thus far.