Well, this is it — my final column for The Horizon.

I have to admit typing this column is bittersweet.

I am set to graduate in May, which means I no longer have the excuse of being a college student.

Being a college student has allowed me to not feel bad when I watched my friends get good-paying jobs and start families.

Now that I’m almost 30 years old, I am going to officially be a grown-up.

My collegiate career began in 1998 when I was fresh out of high school and attended the University of Louisville. To say I wasn’t ready for college is an understatement.

While I did pass a couple of classes at the University of Louisville, let’s just say I failed a couple, too.

Following my first semester there, I transferred to Jefferson Community College, where I failed a couple more classes. It got so bad that I had to meet with the dean, who told me if I didn’t pull my GPA up, I would be kicked out of school.

I managed to pull my GPA up enough that I did not get kicked out of school, but I decided to take some time off and even contemplated never getting my degree.

After a couple of dead-end jobs, I decided to go back to Jefferson Community College in 2003.

This time around, I was a much more dedicated student and I received my associate’s degree in 2006.

During my time at JCC, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in sports journalism since I felt like I was a good writer, and I loved sports.

As I contemplated where I was going to finish my college career, I realized there weren’t many options locally for someone who wanted to be a journalism major. I thought about going back to the University of Louisville, but they did not offer journalism as a major, so I decided on IU Southeast.

While I feel like I chose the right school, I question every day whether I chose the right major.

Don’t get me wrong: I love doing this, but I have pretty much come to the realization that I may be broke for the rest of my life.

As I embark on this journey called life, I wonder if the field I chose will even exist 10 years from now.

It seems like I am always hearing about newspapers closing and laying people off.

I search daily for jobs in the journalism field, only to find a couple here and there, usually having nothing to do with sports.

I was lucky enough to land a part-time job in the sports department at The Courier-Journal, which I am grateful for, but I do not know if this will ever lead to a full-time position.

Sometimes I fear that I may be that guy with a degree working in a restaurant, because either I can’t find a job, or that I would make better money by working at a restaurant than I would working in my field.

Anyway, that’s enough of the negative stuff. I am excited to be graduating. No more papers, presentations or exams.

Hopefully, some of you have read and enjoyed the sports commentary I have provided during the past couple of years, and, hopefully, you will be able to read more of my sports commentary if I am lucky enough to do this professionally.

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By ERIC MCGUFFIN

Editor

demcguff@umail.iu.edu