So I've finally (FINALLY) managed meet all my graduation requirements. I expect to have a degree in philosophy by the end of the year. The notion of actually being graduated inflicts me with many of the feels.
Firstly, there is like a jamboree of sheer joy floating around in my stomach; seriously, if you added gumbo, my gut could pass for Louisiana. I've caught myself on more then one occasion letting out squees of excitement. My cat has never been more terrified.
Secondly, there is a shocking feeling of accomplishment. Shocking because I still don't entirely feel like I deserve it; however, there is something to be said for know that I've completed the requirements to earn a degree. A strange sort of confidence has been mustered (one that I really could have used while still in school). Perhaps my institution's propaganda has been getting to me, but a degree means something to me. Not everyone has a degree. I do. (Will).
Thirdly and most predictably, I feel terror. Oh god: I have to grow up now. I have to somehow find something to do that also makes enough money to pay the crushing amount of debt I have accumulated. I often find myself thinking "what can I do," only to be faced with silence. A philosophy degree does not come with a job description built in. I'm not an engineer or a nurse. To be fair, that's what I always loved about philosophy: it was broad. Philosophy has given me this subtle set of skills that can be applied almost anywhere, and the only problem is convincing employers that these skills exist.
I don't want to end this post on a negative point. Disregarding the uncertainties of the future, I'm absolutely sure that I'll figure out something to do. Maybe it'll be some office job that I wouldn't have approved of a few short years ago. Or maybe it'll be the job of my dreams. The future isn't entirely written. Maybe I'll end up with that Tea Shop/Cafe that I've pined over, or perhaps I'll manage to become that YouTube sensation I've always pretended I could be. Regardless, I'll be living an examined life, and so it'll be worth living.
