by Mystery-writer, 12 June 2008

For the last time you’ve heard the bell ringing in your homeroom class.

The door closes for the last time on your way out of the classroom. You hand in your last term paper, or finish your honour’s thesis.

For one and all, the last time these things happen indicates it’s time to graduate. Whether you’re finishing high school, college or university, it’s that time of year. Some of you are counting down the days to graduation, hoping it hurries up so you can be done with what seems like the never-ending semester or term.

I had a month of time to wait and wonder what convocation was going to be like, and think about where I was going to go after this. All the people I hadn’t seen in a month, the professors I wanted to thank and say goodbye to, were all there. The questions about where I’m going still remained however. I still don’t know… and I am sure other people don’t either. The question arises, do I want a permanent job, do I want to return to school or do I want to travel? Any number of options are out there and available, it's just a question of what to chose.

Graduating is a weird kind of place in your life; you’re happy and excited to have gotten this far, and achieved so much. Graduating and getting that piece of paper is an acknowledgment of the effort and work you’ve put in. But at the same time, a part or place in your life is over. There is no going back to that place, or to those experiences, which are now memories.

For some people, me included, convocation or graduation was the last chance to say goodbye to people I may never see again. You’re also in a place where the road is so open to you, the options are endless, the possibilities astounding. Graduation isn’t the be all and end all, it’s just another brick in your road, or piece of your life.

The places you can go now are wide and varied; you have so many things open to you, so take your time and decide what is the next step. Take your time, and definitely don’t worry about what the future holds for you. If you’ve come this far, nothing is beyond your reach or capabilities. And be ready for choosing or doing something that wasn’t what you always thought you were going to do.

Graduation gives you a whole new shift on perceptions and ideas. Of course it could have cemented what you know is right for you. Either way, be proud, be excited, be a little sad its over, but most of all, enjoy and revel in how much you have achieved and how great it is to be a graduate!

For a fun read, and graduation Dr.Seuss style check out his “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. This song came out in 1997, but its still appropriate for the graduate mentality: Baz Lurhman’s “Sunscreen”.