23

Whew, I can finally say that I have graduated. While I officially finished school last summer, my graduation was this month because of COVID and I thank God it was not pouring while I took my pictures. I am writing this post to reflect on graduating from college after four years of what I like to call fun hell because I met people that I know I can trust for the rest of my life and we share nothing but the best memories (hopefully we can share more) and I received a Bachelor’s degree studying Legal Studied but college was tough. Finishing was tough.

It was mostly tough because I am navigating my 20s (they weren’t joking when they say your 20s are tough) and learning more about myself every day and learning about what I ultimately want to do for the rest of my life. I have made a goal of mine to pursue running my business full-time in the future; I am considering attending Business school. I got a great job that is focused on Influencer Marketing (something that I have been interested in for 5 years since I have worked as an influencer/content creator for over 6 years now). Plus, it is for a great company that has AMAZING benefits (including stock options which someone needs to still explain to me haha). So I feel stable right now with what I am doing to benefit my future. Working in digital marketing has made me learn a lot about how certain businesses are operating today, especially with the help of influencer marketing. I plan to write a post next month discussing influencer marketing and what I have learned since starting my job. I feel motivated to get back to working with brands on my social media and get more serious with content creation because it has become the new side hustle or, better yet, a new career in this generation. 

Finishing college made me realize that I studied what was interesting to me because of the idea that I need to have a career that is tough and high-paying in order to succeed and have a good future. While there is nothing entirely wrong with that idea, it is simply not true and I have found myself interested in a future where I am working creatively within the business industry (i.e. digital marketing). 

As I continue to navigate this part of my life, I am trying hard to remind myself when rest and peace are necessary. I am reminding myself that I am trying my very best and was not built to be perfect. So in this post-grad era of my life, I plan to take my time navigating and living by my rules for myself. I absolutely encourage every new graduate to do the same because graduating is something to be absolutely proud of even if you are still figuring everything out.

                                                                            -AK