The End of an Era.
- Jun 14, 2016
- 2 min read
At one point during the last few weeks of the summer holiday after I had finished high school, I remember sitting on the back porch at my parents' house, breathing in the fresh scents of sunshine and cut grass and cold-water-rinsed blueberries, thinking to myself;
"What, in this beautiful world, have I gotten myself into..!?"
...of course, I'm referring to post-secondary education, and the painfully long adventure that I had registered for and was about to begin.
Everybody around me was quick to offer their 'wisdom' and advice regarding my impending 4-year degree program doom - most of which was gentle and encouraging - but I quickly found one common, confusing piece to repeat itself:
"It's going to fly by, you'll be finished before you know it."
Yeah...NOT LIKELY!
Because - I'm sorry - but what 18 year old is going to sign themselves up for 4 MORE years of school, after having just endured 4 years of high school, and before that 8 years of primary, and think, "ooh yeah, this is just gonna go by in a flash, woo!"...in case you're wondering, the answer is nobody. Not one single, sad, unassuming teenager would be thinking that way. And I was no exception. Don't get me wrong, I was excited, but I was in no way ignorant to the huge task I had coming at me.
But here's the thing: last week, I stood alongside about a million other university students, wearing silly hats and ill-fitting gowns, to be presented with a very fancy, very expensive piece of paper that proves to the world that I did it. I made it through those 4 long years, highly caffeinated and severely sleep- and nutrition-deprived...but I made it. And, between you and me?
They were all right...
So here's to all of my fellow 2016 graduates; if you've just received a degree like me, consider my hat tipped to you, because I am WELL aware of all the work you've done and you are so deserving of this recognition and accomplishment! And to those of you bright-eyed little high school grads, my heart goes out to you - this world is a delightfully wild, sometimes scary, but mostly wondrous little place. Whether you choose university, travel, work, or whatever, I mean it when I say that this life in general going to fly by, you'll be finished before you know it, so please make it count.
*Jessica.
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