Preparing for the Unknown
If you had asked me at the beginning of this summer what my life would look like after graduation, I would have given you the same answer as now: I don’t know. For a long time, that uncertainty felt like a personal shortcoming, as if not having some kind of plan made me less prepared or less ambitious than the people around me. But dealing with this uncertainty this summer gave me something I didn’t expect: a chance to sit with the unknown long enough to realize it doesn’t define me. I may not have figured out my future, but I have learned that not knowing is not a failure. Sometimes, it is simply the beginning.
Many seniors, especially those of us in creative disciplines, face a lot of pressure surrounding the question of “What’s next?” There is no exact next step as there might be in nursing, education, or engineering. Instead, there is a wide open field of possibilities, which are exciting in theory, but overwhelming in practice. I spent much of the summer cycling through familiar fears: What can I actually do with my degree? What if I choose the wrong path? What if everyone around me has it figured out except me? What am I going to do with the rest of my life? Over time, I was able to slowly accept the truth that most people (even those who present confidence) are navigating the same unspoken uncertainties. Everyone is figuring things out as they go; some are simply more comfortable admitting it or better at hiding it.
One of the most important realizations I came to is that I really do have more time than I thought. We tend to treat college as a conveyor belt leading directly into a lifelong career from whatever major you choose, but that is never how life actually works. For many people, our paths are built in smaller, less linear steps. It is okay to experiment, to try an internship just to see how it feels, to work a job unrelated to your major to continue exploring your interests, or to do none of that for some time. There is no prize for choosing a single career at 21 and sticking to it forever. It is equally valid to take time to breathe, reflect, and test out different possibilities. My degree will not lose value simply because I don’t have an immediate five-year plan.
The truth is that future uncertainty often brings not only logistical stress but emotional weight. For me, the unknown triggered cycles of anxiety that became really hard to ignore. I spent a lot of time worrying that I was falling behind in life or somehow failing because I didn’t have an answer ready for every curious relative. Over the summer, I realized that these feelings deserve care, not criticism. Acknowledging to myself that graduating without a clear plan is emotionally taxing helped me reframe the way I approached my future. Mental health became an essential part of the process, not something separate from career preparation, but something deeply woven into it. And it’s what I spent my whole summer trying to uncover. Learning to accept the uncertainty, asking for support when the stress felt heavy, and allowing myself to rest helped me move forward without feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to have everything figured out.
During this time, several resources helped me explore options and feel more grounded. Visiting our Office of Career Education turned out to be incredibly useful. They helped me identify potential career paths connected to writing, revise my resume, and overall made me feel more confident in my skills. Even just talking to my writing professors and advisors about my struggles helped a lot. They offered some similar experiences to not knowing what they wanted to do, and just gave me a safe space to talk about my feelings. The thing that helped me the most was definitely therapy. I’ve been on my healing journey with my therapist for a while, but I needed even more intense care because of my mental health. Being honest with my parents to get the help I need was the best thing I could’ve done. I know it’s not like that for everyone, so that is why I also appreciate Arcadia’s counseling resources for immediate and confidential help as well. I’ve gone for drop-in sessions before when my therapist was unavailable, so as someone who struggles with mental health, it’s amazing to know I have free access to care anytime I need, right on campus.
What I hope other seniors (and even underclassmen) take away from this is simple: you are not alone if you don’t have your future mapped out. You are not behind. You are not supposed to have every detail of your life figured out by the time you graduate. There is no “correct” timeline that everyone is supposed to follow. There is only your timeline, shaped by your interests, your experiences, your growth, and your willingness to explore. Uncertainty is not a void; it is a space full of potential. I still have no idea what I want to do after graduation, but I know this: I have time. I can learn, experiment, and change direction as many times as I need. And most importantly, acknowledging the emotional and mental weight of this stage has made me feel less pressured and more open to whatever comes next. The unknown may feel intimidating, but it can also be expansive. It can be the doorway to possibilities I haven’t yet imagined. And step by step, I am learning how to walk through it.
