I don’t want to get stuck. Grand Forks is a wonderful place, but I don’t want to be here the rest of my life. My part time jobs are great and I am incredibly thankful to have them, but they are not what I want to do until retirement. I feel a bit like I’m spinning my wheels, trying to finish up this first degree.

I have been here six years. I won’t graduate until the end of my seventh. This fact in itself terrifies me. Looking back over the past years, it makes sense that it’s taking me this long; I switched majors a few times. I had two major health episodes that messed with the amount of classes I could take in a semester, one even resulted in a special circumstances withdrawal. But just because it makes sense doesn’t mean I’m not scared.

This has very little to do with UND or Grand Forks specifically. It’s the same elsewhere. I’m very happy to have chosen UND to complete my first degree and have come to love Grand Forks for many reasons – that doesn’t mean I want to be here for the rest of my days.

I’m not alone in this fear. College is meant to be transient. Even if we get multiple degrees at multiple levels, the student’s college experience is supposed to end in a graduation onto bigger and better things.

However, in today’s world that is often not true. We face a terrible job market after graduation. The vast majority of us will graduate with a crushing amount of debt. Many will not be able to afford to leave the town their college is in. This is a risk of getting “stuck” in the place where you finish your bachelor’s degree.

It’s more than just worrying about a four year degree “going to waste” because the only job around involves deep frying things and flipping burgers. It’s more than just worrying about not being able to leave the town you got your degree in. It’s about following your plan you’ve set for yourself. It’s the great “what if” that is becoming all too real for us who are nearing graduation or have had to put it off because life got in the way.

What if I can’t find a job in my field? What if I don’t get accepted into any grad schools? What if I never can afford to move out of Grand Forks? What if I can’t afford to start paying off student loans (if I ever can get them paid off)?

Moving on is one of the most important parts of college. It’s why the graduation ceremony is so huge – it’s the ending to this part of your life. It’s a celebration of accomplishments…and, in a way, a funeral for college life.

The fact remains that many of us will not go on to fulfill our plans immediately. This sucks and there is no immediate fix for us.

But it doesn’t have to be the worst thing that has ever happened to us. Yes, our after-college hopes may not be realized immediately – if ever- but that doesn’t mean life can’t go on and be amazing.

It takes flexibility, being able to adapt to the world after college, especially if we’ve had our post-grad dreams shattered. It may be cliche, but we have to find the silver lining when this happens.

We’ve met so many people in college whose friendships are more important that words can describe. We have learned so much, both inside and outside the classroom, no matter what your degree is in. We’ve done something and fulfilled a huge commitment by getting a degree. There is a lot to celebrate about the end of college, even if the beginning of “The Rest of Your Life” isn’t exactly what you’ve planned.

The easiest way to start finding that silver lining is to change the language we use. I will not be “stuck” in Grand Forks. There are many things I love about this place and I would be able to be happy here after college, even if it’s not part of my master plan. I am not failing by not following the track I’ve set ahead – I’m switching to Plan B (or C, or D, or M, depending on where things go). I am in control of my own actions, and that includes how I look at post college life. It may not be what I currently hope and envision, but that doesn’t mean it is something I should be fearing.

Kjerstine Trooien is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].