YOU'RE NOT RUNNING OUT OF TIME
BY GABRIELLE JETHROW ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF MINJOON LEE
It is universally known that your college years are the most formative years of your life, but adulthood beyond campus poses uncertainty for every young adult. As each year passes, the cycle of needing an internship for a job, and a job for money, and money for living, hits like a brick. Applications on top of applications, already working part-time jobs to pay for school and additional everyday expenses, consume what little free time students have, leaving little room to process concerns about the future.
The invisible, unrealistic timeline of building a resume, having internships every year, full-time job offers, moving out of your parents’ house by graduation, maintaining a solid friend group, and even having a healthy romantic relationship has distorted the way students view their college years. Priorities become unbalanced. It becomes all work and no life, and sometimes even too much life and no work.
In a world dominated by social media, seeing someone become an editor-in-chief at 27, discover a breakthrough medical treatment at 25, or buy a luxury home at 20 only adds to the pressure. Constantly witnessing extraordinary accomplishments can make viewers feel as though they need to perform at the same pace, pushing themselves to exhaustion and burnout. For some, it can even be debilitating, causing them to freeze up and question their self-worth.
Factors like these lead to the immense build-up of stress as life starts appearing as a ticking time bomb instead of something to be enjoyed and lived in. As we grow older, instead of taking in each moment with every passing day, we start seeing adulthood as deadlines and cutoffs, rather than a lifelong journey filled with opportunities for growth and self-discovery.
Adulthood isn’t a finish line. It is unrealistic to have your life “figured out” by the time you walk the graduation stage or know exactly what you want for your future. Careers change. Goals evolve. Friendships fade. Relationships end. Even you change, and it’s all a part of the marathon called life.
Life is an endless mission to find who you are and what you can do, not locking yourself into a version of you that might be outgrown in five months, five years, or even sooner. These experiences aren't detours; they are building blocks to establish self-image and a lifestyle catered to you.
When feeling confused about what path to take next, it is important to ask yourself thought-provoking questions like:
What do I truly want?
What am I willing to do for the life I want to build?
How can I take small, realistic steps toward my goals?
Am I chasing someone else’s definition of success?
What kind of life feels meaningful to me?
In moments like these, instead of trying to control the future, seek to take each day, week, and month one step at a time.
We spend so much of college fearing that time is slipping away that we forget adulthood isn’t when opportunities disappear. Instead, adulthood opens even more risks and doors that can lead to a whole new adventure. There's no deadline for becoming the person you're meant to be, and your life isn't measured by how quickly you reach each milestone. It’s shaped by the journey you take to get there.
