The Post-Undergrad Assessment

“It’s estimated that about 1.5 million Americans graduated last year and less than half of them graduated with a job at hand.” A friend recently wrote an article with this staggering statistic, for those who have a newfound freedom and have found free time after graduation and yet struggle with the uncertainty of unemployment. I, on the other hand, write this minority report for those who actually were fortunate enough to find some employment. We all know there are two sides to every story and that every fortune has to be balanced out.

Student graduates. Graduate finds full time employment. Employee finds happiness. Though we all wish the equation were so simple, we know it’s not always the case. Employment does not necessarily equal happiness, financial and/or mental freedom, or escape from that proverbial monkey on the back. Despite my situation and everything I should be and am grateful for, I feel like it’s still not enough.

Truth is, you do your best and they expect better. Who is “they,” you ask? Society, your family, your parents, the other sides of yourself; name it, you’re fighting it. Truth is, unhappiness will always be found in the situation, despite the blessings that surround it. Don’t get me wrong, there is always something good in every situation. However, I am still a proponent of the fact (because it’s not a theory, it’s been continually proven) that the universe always has to balance itself out. For this reason, none of us are allowed too much happiness or too many good fortunes.

Then again, what do I really know? After all, fortune is all perception and happiness is a state of mind. Guaranteed that life will always balance out, but who’s to say if it’s for better or worse?