Monday, June 15, 2009

Time To Stress

My hair is thin and my face is becoming lined. My friends, I am a senior-in-college-to-be, and I’m now faced with arranging for my life post-Hartwick. Do I go to grad school? Do I find a job? Can I finally get a place of my own? Would I look half as dashing as a bald Nico? How come bread is square while bologna is round? All of these questions face me, and any decision carries positive and negative consequences.

I’m trying to be optimistic, so don’t let me get you down. Hartwick’s career center, which has a formal name I can’t recall, has a lot of resources that can help me make these decisions. The staff is friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Plus, they occasionally have candy. Common sense tells me that, if the economy doesn’t pick up, I should remain in some kind of school for as long as possible. Some grad schools, I know, pay for your attendance.

Because I want to be a teacher, I know that there are some programs that are set up to help me to find a job. These programs are TeachNYC and TeachAmerica. TeachNYC might be a better bet, since both programs place you where you’re needed, and I wouldn’t really want to be stationed in a rural town where my nearest neighbor is a couple of miles away and ravenous animals surround my secluded abode.

My medical condition, which I’ve talked about here before, presents another set of challenges. I can schedule and keep track of my doctor appointments. I check my equipment and remind myself of needed maintenance. (For example, some of my machinery needs a battery replacement today.) But I also, like many college students, have hardly any money. I also need to take better care of myself in terms of taking time to eat more complete meals and sleep more. This is difficult because when I come out of REM sleep, the slightest thing wakes me up. Today, it was the sunlight through the window. Last time, it was the barking dog.

All of these responsibilities weigh heavily upon my shoulders. Luckily, I have friends and family who support me. Also luckily, my condition is not so debilitating that caring for myself is totally out of the question; I’m able-bodied.

To my fellow seniors, good luck. We’ve all got similar versions of this burden, I imagine. Be strong!

Later days,
Nico