Open Road

Some people have the luxury of knowing exactly where their life is headed.

They have all the logistics sorted out. When they'll finish school, if they'll go to grad school, where they'll work, a list of employers they have done internships with and will likely hire them upon completion of their education, etc.

They have already started their 401k. They're in school and already work in their field. They have stocks. They have connections. They're involved. They're already seeing the money they'll make in their career of choice. They know exactly what they'll be doing five years from now.

They're set.

Others don't get that luxury. They haven't gotten that chance to work in their field. They work a part-time job that simply pays the rent and bills. They don't have a lot of connections. They don't know what they'll be doing five years from now. They're free agents to the work world.

Not necessarily "unfit" for the real world. Just taking life as it comes.

I'm one of these people, and I don't know whether or not I should be scared.

Ok, so I'm slightly engaged in my career field. I'm definitely interested in my education; I realize I can't get anywhere, let alone a job, without finishing up my undergrad.

But the truth is, despite the fact that I'll leave this school with a degree from a very respective Journalism school, there's a solid chance I won't be working in journalism.

When I graduate next year, I won't have a list of connections to call up for employment. I won't have a ton of work experience in my field (other than the 180-something bylines I have from working at The Times in Gainesville). I will basically apply for any full-time job that will pay for me to live and support an eventual family.

I've never been a follower of the concept that money buys happiness. I'm not chasing a big corporate president job in a big city. I've always told myself I'd be happy living a middle-class, white American life in the suburbs, with enough to have a nice place to raise a family.

Is it wrong to see life this way? Is it wrong for me to assume there's a chance that my college degree will not reflect the career I will eventually have?

I feel like I could be anything after college. I could go into police academy, a fire department, or another government service. Or even be a full-time employee for a private company, heck, even retail.

I'm not sure if this is the mindset I'm supposed to have. But I need to remain realistic. There's a very slim chance I'll end a hockey writer for TSN or a football writer for ESPN. Those opportunities don't come often.

The mindset I keep: I just need a job someday that will allow me to live. That's all.