By Justus Sturtevant
Even after a year out of college it’s hard to comprehend the fact that my friends in the class of 2018 will be joining me in the world after graduation. For some of this year’s graduates plans are already cemented, but for many the future is no more certain than it was when they stepped onto Susquehanna’s campus for the first time.
When I walked off the stage at graduation less than a year ago I could never have predicted the path I would take in the year that followed. My plan at the time was to hike the Appalachian Trail and return home to Vermont with a better understanding of who I am and where I was headed.
That plan did not come to fruition, thanks to a metabolism that still seems to think I’m growing six inches a year and need 4000 calories a day regardless level of activity.
Such a failure was honestly a sobering experience for someone who hasn’t experienced a great amount of adversity in his life. But the months that followed my exit from the trail were as transformative as any period of time in my life.
In fact, when a professor at Susquehanna suggested I consider law school a year ago my audible response was a half-hearted shrug and a maybe; my internal response more closely resembled a laugh of derision.
Fast forward to April of 2018 and guess where I’ll be in a few months? That’s right, law school, more specifically, Northeastern School of Law.
The abrupt change of direction is honestly not unusual for me; I’ve always been a person who relies on my gut for important decisions rather than logic.
The idea of law school had been rattling around my brain—along with several other potential career paths—when one morning I turned to my mother and announced, “I think I’m going to law school.”
After several months studying for the LSAT, researching law schools, applying to law schools and eventually making a decision, my future is as concrete as its ever been.
For those 2018 graduates who find themselves in a similar position to myself one year ago, my advice is quite simple: don’t panic and be true to yourself.
Young people today have an immense amount of pressure to find their career paths early in their lives, which is completely insane.
What person can look back at the end of their life and truthfully say they understood themself as a 21-year-old. I certainly don’t expect to be able to make such a claim.
It took months of deep thought before I was even prepared to take the next step of going to law school.
While that decision might seem like an abrupt change of direction from my undergraduate studies of economics and journalism, in reality it was simply the next step in a lifelong trajectory that I truly believe is true to who I am.
I studied economics because I was fascinated by the study of wealth and how it impacts individuals and our society. I studied journalism because I understood the power the media has in influencing culture.
Both majors equipped me with tools that I knew I could use to improve the lives of those around me, something an understanding of law will enhance as well.
So for anyone panicking over graduation and the real world looming in front of you, just understand how truly unimportant it is to have a career path laid out in front of you. What is important is remaining true to who you are as you discover the right path for you.
