College...and then?

Soon and very soon I will be making a certain journey across a graduation stage. I will shake hands with someone I have never met and a piece of paper will be pressed into my hand - a piece of paper that says I'm smarter than all the people who don't have one like it, but not quite as smart as the people who have more of them than I do.

I don't know how to feel about graduation but different people tell me different things regarding how I should feel. My family members (most of whom do not have college degrees) say that I should be proud and excited while many graduates have told me that I should prolong my college career because the real world is much more demanding and difficult than being a student.

The main thought/fear/worry that looms over my head right now is what to do after I graduate. Sure, I'm excited about never having to take another exam, write another report, study another flashcard...oh, but wait. That's a total lie. I'll still have to do all that but, from now on, the stakes will be much higher than which letters end up on my college transcript.

After graduation I'll probably get a full-time job that will take more than "full time." But regardless of who ends up giving me a paycheck, I'm pretty certain that I'll survive, so I can't complain.