Musings on "The Question": What Are You Doing Next Year?

By Julia Plevin '09

I have come to find solace in the dreaded “do you know what you are doing next year” question. Some people without plans dread this question. Others invent plans just to give the person who asked some peace of mind. I prefer to say, “I have no idea,” in a carefree manner that makes the inquisitor feel uncomfortable for me.

I still have no idea what I am going to be doing or where I will be, but instead of feeling like a lost soul among a graduating class of driven students, I feel that I am part of something bigger. During the fall corporate recruiting, there was secrecy and hostility and many people fought over a few interviews with companies that didn’t even end up hiring. Now there is a sense of camaraderie among graduating seniors as we all try to navigate the murky waters of employment opportunities alone together.

I have lowered my expectations for my first job dramatically since last summer. Now my two wishes are to not move back home with my parents (I love them, but still…) and not do meaningless/menially office work. I would be willing to try out anything else. I believe many of my classmates are in a similar situation.

Few of my peers know what they are doing next year and most of the ones that do know are teaching either in the US or abroad. Some are going straight to law school or medical school and some managed to secure consulting jobs through corporate recruiting, but those who have planned the next move already are a surprising minority.

We, the class of 2009, are driven and ready for the real world, but wary of the current state of this so-called real world. The Class of ’09 will be entering one of the most difficult job markets in recent history. Our notions of what we “should” be doing have been turned upside down as Wall Street crashed and continues to spiral downward into oblivion. I really believe that my classmates and I are taking this unique economic opportunity to think outside of the traditional track and be more open-minded with plans for graduation. We are being forced to think creatively, take a broader perspective, and become more philosophical.

I think the whole idea of “knowing what you are doing” next year creates a false sense of security. Some people may have jobs today that won’t exist come the August start date. Other people may be doing something for a year that does not relate to any future goals and will have to begin this process anew in a matter of months. No one knows what the future holds or what sort of lemons will be thrown at them along the way. Even if students have “plans for next year” it is impossible to know “what you are doing” next year.

Moreover, I have come to realize that the first job I get out of college does not have to be a perfect fit. I understand that any job will help me realize what I like and what I do not like and I will continue to grow and discover new opportunities. There is no such thing as a straight career path. I know all this, but I am not immune to anxiety about my future. It is both exhilarating and terrifying to have no plans for the future as of now. For once in my life, it is almost exhilarating to not know what will come next. I could be traveling around Asia or working at a charter school or interning for a producer in New York City. As long as I don’t know what I am doing next year, the world is still my oyster.

I believe most people will find something interesting to do next year. We are all part of a generation that is going to change the world. I am optimistic about the future, but after being asked “the question” one too many times in a frat basement, I had an anxiety attack. No matter how you spin it, inquiries about post-graduate plans are truly loaded, especially when those plans remain nonexistent after five months of searching and applying.