To Our Readers

"Do you know what you're doing next year?"

It's the question of the moment, the one asked of every senior by everyone, all the time. I've become practiced at responding differently each time, from "No, I'm still looking" to "I haven't decided yet" to "Waitressing." The last one always garners a surprised look, but at least it ends the query, albeit not without the standard condolence--"Don't worry, you'll find something."

Of course, I don't blame people for asking. After all, I'm wondering about that myself. What in the world am I going to do next year? The truth of the matter is, I'm not sure. For the first time since childhood, I don't have a summer job lined up or a vacation planned, and I don't have a new semester to get ready for. After nearly 21 years of going through school on auto-pilot, suddenly I'm expected to take control and steer.

Sometimes I reason the economy's to blame, and other times I imagine horrible errors in my cover letters will keep me jobless forever. But the truth is, I'm not entirely certain I've happened on my dream job yet. Yes, I've spent four years at Duke learning, growing and preparing for the real world, but that hasn't necessarily provided a ready-made answer to questions of the future.

Too often we force ourselves to find a next step beyond college, thinking that if we don't, we'll suddenly be directionless failures, wasting a world-class education. But whether you're a jobless senior or a freshman without a summer internship, remember that simply having a plan doesn't make it the right one.

See, it isn't that I don't have options (and no, graduate school isn't one of them), it's just that I haven't chosen one yet. I don't intend to look at May 12 as my apocalypse, and I'm quite certain life will go on if I walk away with a degree but no set job. Right now, I'm focusing on my last college days, enjoying the best semester ever and simply waiting to see what happens. I'm in no rush to find the perfect career, and I don't mistake having a plan for being happy.

So no, I don't know what I'm doing next year, but thanks for asking.