One bachelor’s and (nearly) two master’s later, it’s finally time to graduate and say goodbye to UvA. Weirdly, I’m not as relieved about this as I thought I’d be. Unlike some of my friends who cannot wait to leave academia and student life behind, I had a ball the last few years. Yes, I know group assignments tend to suck, exams are stressful and some professors should not be let loose on students but in the grand scheme of things I actually really enjoyed myself.
Now that it’s time to enter graduate life, I’m wondering what will change. Like any good student, I first asked ChatGPT – the absolute expert on lifestyle matters. Apparently, I could encounter the following eight changes: financial independence, personal growth, new relationships, career development, independence and responsibility, work-life balance, and continued learning. I’m not sure what I expected but these aren’t groundbreaking. Might it be that graduate life won’t be that different after all?
It’s easy to lose yourself in your worries about the future. Will I find a job I like? Will that job pay my bills? Do I wanna stay in Amsterdam, which means learning the language and risking a sore throat for the rest of my life? Or would I rather move – back to my home country or someplace else instead? Will my friendships here become long-distance like so many have over the years? But based on ChatGPT’s answer and looking at my friends who are in the same transition phase or made it out already, not that much actually changes. Or rather, everything that changes is similar to something we’ve experienced before.
While this transition phase feels novel – and it is – we are not unprepared. Most of us have moved abroad before, we applied to universities and jobs, made new friends and left old ones behind. We all made major life decisions before – some of us put more thought into those than others but we are all here. So, when contemplating this new stage, thinking about what we achieved already, and how we made it despite the struggles and anxieties, should give us hope and optimism.
And I’m not saying that this is easy. The first draft of this article was much more sombre (I am blaming my raging PMS) which my boyfriend bravely pointed out. And he was right, at times I put a lot of pressure on myself to figure this new stage out immediately. But I’m only in my 20s, I don’t need to have it figured out. All I can truly expect of myself is to “throw spaghetti at a wall and see what sticks” as a good friend of mine likes to quote. My first job doesn’t have to be the job for me, it might take me some time to figure out what that job even looks like. And grieving that university life is coming to an end is not a bad thing either, it just shows me that I had a great time. Also, who knows, my university chapter might come to an end, or maybe it will go into overtime if I decide to work as a tutor or pursue a PhD.
Not knowing can be daunting and sort of feels like I’m not in control but that is actually not the case. I can always move, change jobs, follow another academic programme, leave relationships and encounter new ones. Yes, right now the next step is not certain. But also how cool is it that the next step is not certain! I am coming to realise that this experience is a privilege – having that many options and being allowed to choose where to head next.
So, while I’m unsure whether this next step includes a new country, journalism, research or maybe a completely different field of work – what I know for sure is that ruminating does not help. I cannot control the job market but I can keep an eye open for opportunities. Also, I can ask around to see if someone else can point me in the right direction because I am not embarking on this journey alone. All of that will come, but for now, I’m gonna finish this article and then head out for coffee because the weather is amazing and it’s time to enjoy Amsterdam in May.
One bachelor’s and (nearly) two master’s later, it’s finally time to graduate and say goodbye to UvA. Weirdly, I’m not as relieved about this as I thought I’d be. Unlike some of my friends who cannot wait to leave academia and student life behind, I had a ball the last few years. Yes, I know group assignments tend to suck, exams are stressful and some professors should not be let loose on students but in the grand scheme of things I actually really enjoyed myself.
Now that it’s time to enter graduate life, I’m wondering what will change. Like any good student, I first asked ChatGPT – the absolute expert on lifestyle matters. Apparently, I could encounter the following eight changes: financial independence, personal growth, new relationships, career development, independence and responsibility, work-life balance, and continued learning. I’m not sure what I expected but these aren’t groundbreaking. Might it be that graduate life won’t be that different after all?
It’s easy to lose yourself in your worries about the future. Will I find a job I like? Will that job pay my bills? Do I wanna stay in Amsterdam, which means learning the language and risking a sore throat for the rest of my life? Or would I rather move – back to my home country or someplace else instead? Will my friendships here become long-distance like so many have over the years? But based on ChatGPT’s answer and looking at my friends who are in the same transition phase or made it out already, not that much actually changes. Or rather, everything that changes is similar to something we’ve experienced before.
While this transition phase feels novel – and it is – we are not unprepared. Most of us have moved abroad before, we applied to universities and jobs, made new friends and left old ones behind. We all made major life decisions before – some of us put more thought into those than others but we are all here. So, when contemplating this new stage, thinking about what we achieved already, and how we made it despite the struggles and anxieties, should give us hope and optimism.
And I’m not saying that this is easy. The first draft of this article was much more sombre (I am blaming my raging PMS) which my boyfriend bravely pointed out. And he was right, at times I put a lot of pressure on myself to figure this new stage out immediately. But I’m only in my 20s, I don’t need to have it figured out. All I can truly expect of myself is to “throw spaghetti at a wall and see what sticks” as a good friend of mine likes to quote. My first job doesn’t have to be the job for me, it might take me some time to figure out what that job even looks like. And grieving that university life is coming to an end is not a bad thing either, it just shows me that I had a great time. Also, who knows, my university chapter might come to an end, or maybe it will go into overtime if I decide to work as a tutor or pursue a PhD.
Not knowing can be daunting and sort of feels like I’m not in control but that is actually not the case. I can always move, change jobs, follow another academic programme, leave relationships and encounter new ones. Yes, right now the next step is not certain. But also how cool is it that the next step is not certain! I am coming to realise that this experience is a privilege – having that many options and being allowed to choose where to head next.
So, while I’m unsure whether this next step includes a new country, journalism, research or maybe a completely different field of work – what I know for sure is that ruminating does not help. I cannot control the job market but I can keep an eye open for opportunities. Also, I can ask around to see if someone else can point me in the right direction because I am not embarking on this journey alone. All of that will come, but for now, I’m gonna finish this article and then head out for coffee because the weather is amazing and it’s time to enjoy Amsterdam in May.
