Here I am, about to graduate.

As per tradition, I am to write a -30- column. A -30- column is essentially a “good-bye” piece and is usually full of thank you’s.

But, given that the average reader doesn’t know me, and those I need to thank know who they are, I opted to share with you, the reader, advice I thought only a “wise,” “experienced” senior could give in hopes that you could in some way benefit from it.

Oddly enough, I found the best way to do this is not by listing pieces of advice, but by sharing my experience.

That experience involves deadlines, or more specifically, one certain deadline.

Now, I am journalist. My job revolves around deadlines.

But life does, too.

We all have deadlines: college loan payments, wedding RSVPs, job applications, even the good ‘ole “if he doesn’t call me by tomorrow, we are so done.”

The worst deadline of all, though, is graduating college.

There is no set time you have to do it by, but there are expectations. Society, parents and even we, the students, decide that by the time we graduate, we have to have everything figured out: we have to know what we want to do with our lives; we have to know who we are; we have to have mastered that thing called maturity.

But, truth is, we don’t (and mostly won’t).

Take me, for example. I am so far from meeting that deadline.

That comes to much dismay to my 18-year-old, fresh-out-of-high-school self, who out of frustration set that deadline— and planned on meeting it.

You see, my goal when I left high school was to get into a top-20 college and go out of state. And I did have the GPA, ACT score and extracurricular activities to get me there. But indecision ruled my life (and still does.)

I didn’t know which colleges to apply to and on top of it, I was scared. I ended up having to stay in state and transferred through three different colleges in three semesters.

I switched my major more than 10 times. I had no clue what I wanted to do, and truthfully, I felt like a failure.

Now, on the cusp of graduating from college, I can’t help but compare it to that time.

In a way, graduating college is just like graduating from high school. You are prepared because you and others have put the time in for you to be, but are you really ready?

I am not sure I am. I am almost certain I will make similar mistakes when I enter the workforce as I did when I entered college.

The only difference is that now I am OK with it. I won’t feel like a failure if I change jobs 10 times or don’t meet my goals right away, because I have learned that life is a constant journey, and there is always more to learn.

Just this semester, I ran into a problem caused entirely by my own immaturity. Feeling really down, I spilled my heart out to a classmate.

“I guess I have to grow up,” I said. “I guess I have to actually act my age.”

Turned out my classmate, whom I always assumed was the same age as me (I’m 23), was 28. And what he said changed my perspective.

“I used to worry a lot about being mature, too,” he said, “but now I don’t. I’m 28 and I don’t do anything that you don’t do, really.”

I realized that though he was older than me, he was still on the same journey.

I realized that even though I imagined the age of 23 was what I meant when I said “when I grow up,” there is not set age for you to become a “grown-up.”

With that in mind, it is easier to make this transition. Even though I still don’t know what I want to do or who I am or even what it means to be mature, I know that I am closer to knowing all of those things because of my journey.

Sure, I went to three different schools, but I met a lot of life-long friends along the way. I got to experience three different atmospheres: a small, liberal arts college; a big-state university; and IU Southeast, my soon-to-be alma mater.

I learned what I didn’t like, and what I do like. I even discovered coffee along the way.

I will take all of these experiences with me, experiences that I am glad to have, even those that felt like failures.

And I hope you do the same.

I know what it’s like to seek advice from other (older) people because I attempt to do it all the time. But I’ve learned that you can’t learn anything from anyone but yourself.

Don’t worry about meeting that “deadline”; you don’t have control over it.

The one thing you do have control over is whether or not you enjoy your time at college.

I can’t tell you what your academic journey should teach you or what you should think by graduation, but I can tell you that if you worry too much about how you should be acting, who you should be or what you should do, then you will miss out on the most important part of it all — enjoying it.

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