I recently gathered with a group of fellow graduates at a wedding in St. Louis. While it was great to be back in the Midwest – if only for a few days – it was even better to see the familiar faces I spent a good portion of the last five years with. In some ways, it felt that we had never really separated — almost as if we had just been away for the summer. But once we all began to speak about current life events, it was more than evident that we were certainly not in college anymore. Discussions that would otherwise revolve around the last (and next) night of partying now focus on health insurance and 401(k) plans. We compare amounts we pay for rent and gas, complain about the number of vacation days we get each year and boast about how long or short our commute to the office might be.

Yes, things have certainly changed. Discussing our career choices was also a hot topic –and not necessarily an encouraging one. We all hear the “doom and gloom” news of the state of the American economy, the job market and the risk of layoffs. Yet, we’re less concerned with those issues than we are about the concept of working in general. It’s almost as if our college experiences built us up for a big letdown. While we all were part of many different campus groups, the SIFE team enabled us to be leaders in a high-profile organization, whose work truly helped individuals in communities around the globe on a daily basis. We traveled to far off lands to conduct projects, worked to better our local communities and felt a part of something truly impactful — something that was obviously larger than ourselves. We mourned our failures and celebrated our successes (often in the same way). Together, we made a difference.

Shifting focus to a few months later, our “stories” have changed. Many of us work rather simplistic jobs that are just one piece of a puzzle that spans farther than we can imagine. We don’t easily see the direct impact of our work, our tasks seems menial, and the corporate red tape is deeper and stronger than we had thought possible.

While I feel slightly more satisfied with my current career path than some others, there are certainly good and bad days. The corporate world is complicated, confusing and frustrating at times. The same tasks that would have taken a few hours to complete now take months to complete, thanks to extensive review and approval processes. Directions are unclear but expectations are precise. Procedures apparently supersede common sense. And yet, somehow, seemingly incompetent coworkers are allowed to remain in positions they shouldn’t. I often wonder if it’s they that were originally incompetent or has the corporate system killed their spirit so much that they just don’t care anymore?

On the other hand, the corporate environment provides one with resources not available in smaller business, unparalleled exposure and promises of career pathing that will some day bring great rewards.

There’s hope – and proof – that things can get better from here. Just as we begin high school at the bottom and work our way up, just as we begin college with nothing and graduate with everything, we are again at the beginning of another cycle. Granted, this cycle is a bit more drawn out than the previous, but there is no shortage of opportunity to succeed. We just have to adjust the way we see things. We must be patient. We must pay due diligence. And we must work harder than before to get where we want to be.

For the most part, it’s true. But I’m guessing not as much as it once did. Many of us choose post-undergraduate paths that carry us to different areas of the world and force us to leave behind memories, friends, family and a sense of comfort. And while it’s tough to do so, our generation has become so incredibly connected – via phone, Facebook, blogs, etc. — that it’s almost impossible to escape our pasts – which can be both a positive and negative outcome.

My “last” summer after graduation consisted of celebrations with friends who would soon be separated by thousands of miles, a car trip from Boston to Los Angeles and the start of a new job and new life on the West Coast. Needless to say, I haven’t slowed down since that day in middle May.

Now I’m sitting with a new world in front of me, one with streets to learn, foods to eat, people to meet and a career to build.

Rewind to five years earlier. I made a much similar life transition. While at the time this seemed as significant of a change, it appears petty now. Though making the move from a high school graduating class of 19 to an entering freshman class of 400 — and surviving it — is still an impressive accomplishment, the road between there and here was certainly filled with stepping stones that made this one much easier.

And of course, I have my time at Drury to thank. Had I not joined the organizations that I did and taken the classes I chose, I simply wouldn’t be where I am today. Those choices led me to a group of friends who literally mean the world to me, far away lands I had barely heard of and life opportunities that would otherwise seem completely unachievable.

It seems we spend a good deal of time in our undergraduate careers worrying about the “real world.” Many try to escape it, some are ready to move on and others have no plan at all. I think I felt a combination of those as I moved towards the end of my tenure at Drury. It’s hard to leave a comfortable spot where you’re socially established, a trip to the mall doesn’t require the use of a GPS, and you can rent a two bedroom apartment for less than $700 a month.

Sure, it’s tough to part ways with all of that. But what do you gain by not doing so? Probably very little.
So far, I’m greatly enjoying my “real world” experience…at least as real as living in Orange County, California can really be. I’m moved into a condo, furniture is assembled, my license now reads “California” and I’m typically settled into bed by 11 p.m. If the sleeping pattern alone doesn’t scream “real world,” I’m not sure what does.

But it’s hard to comprehend the lack of direction the real world provides. Up to graduation, we live our lives in segments – months until school is out, days until it begins again, weeks until Christmas, etc. Most live a relatively rhythmic, constant life. Walks down roads “less traveled” will likely be a part of such life, but for the most part, we stay on the straight and narrow. Following – and completing – is how we often gauge success in our culture.

Success after that point is not as easily described.

It’s all a blur from here…and I’m okay with that. Uncertainty is refreshing, energizing and, somehow, even comforting.

And that’s just the beginning of the lasts. Senior celebration is next week. My final finals are in two weeks. SIFE Nationals is the week after.

In three weeks, it’s all gone. Done.

Knowing my days here are numbered is a scary thought. I’ve spent the last five years of my life immersed in something I previously worked 18 years to achieve.

It seems like just yesterday I was loading up my truck with the essentials and venturing off to a life I could have never before imagined. I’ll never forget the words my sister-in-law said as I stopped by for one last visit that hot August afternoon in 2003. “Have fun in college,” she said as I drove away.

And just like that, it all changed. I’d soon spend the next few days with a nervous, literal sick feeling in my stomach — discovering new buildings, people, streets, weaknesses, and strengths. There were classes to attend, papers to (re)learn to write, fraternities to rush, organizations to join, foods to eat (and get sick of), meetings to arrange and relationships to build.

I became acclimated quickly. I give credit to my involvement in outside activities. I can tell only a few things about the classes I took, but I can tell you story after story about random nights at the fraternity house, late/early mornings putting the final touches on the newspaper and endless trips to extravagant locations with the SIFE team.

I specifically remember the end of freshman year. Packing up and moving out of the dorms was hard to handle. I’d be spending the summer at home away from the new life I had established. A friend said “can you believe a whole year is done? We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

Four years after that moment, I’m looking back on the past and wondering where the time has gone. But then I think for a moment and realize that a lot has been accomplished. Many memories have been formed. Mistakes have been made. And goals have been achieved. In that sense, it’s been a good run.

And here I am again. I’m staring towards the future with that same feeling in my stomach. Will I be able to find friends (wherever it is I choose to go)? Will I like the weather? Will I like my job? What if I hate it all?

Or maybe I should play it safe and stay close. Probably not…all my friends will be moving and this place will be almost unrecognizable to me…as it’s quickly become these past few months. But that’s okay with me.

The transition will likely be less traumatic for me than for the others. After all, I’ve had a “victory lap” year to slowly phase myself out. I can’t imagine going from everything to nothing.

The future is bright. I’m excited to move on. But I’d be lying to myself if I said I’m not going to miss this place.