Today was the graduation ceremony at the College. I don't envy these young people, they face a huge transition.
In talking to many of them over the last few weeks, what most of them want is a break. They want the summer off, or at the very least a couple of weeks. The only problem is that come July, they'll be back in my office horrified at how competitive the job market is.
It's tough to graduate full of ideals - convinced you'll be able to find exactly what you want to do with your life. It's tricky to give them advice without scarring them or contributing to the inevitable jading process.
What I want them to realize is that life is a process. They have to enjoy the path or the destination will disappoint. They have to find a way to keep working on their art - and that is not easy.
In the meantime, what no one mentions is all that they will mourn: they'll miss this community. They'll miss their friends. They'll even miss me - although I'll keep bugging them to find out how they're doing, at least for a little while. They'll even miss the faculty they have come to loathe. Very soon they'll realize that they had many mentors here... and mentors in the real world are harder to come by.
But I wish all of them the best. I'll be here for them when they need someone, even though the rest of the world will quickly move on to the next batch of young students!
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