7 Reasons It's Okay Not To Have A Job When You Graduate

Graduating from college is one of the most daunting moments in anyone's life. It's the culmination of your school career, and for a lot of people, the last time they'll actually have this much freedom. The chapter of your life that began eighteen years ago, with your first tentative steps into the classroom, is coming to an end. While you might be simultaneously terrified, excited, nervous and feeling excessively nauseous at the thought of entering the 'real' world, we're here to tell you that it's okay. Most people graduating college have no clue what their plan is; yes, there are those that studied something incredibly specific with a given career path, but for the majority, this just isn't the case. We leave college and feel a bit lost at the prospect of not having a job or a life plan.

The thing is...you don't need one. Don't worry if your friends have all found the jobs they wanted straight out of college. That's great for them, but it doesn't mean you have to do the same. Not working immediately after you graduate is far from the end of the world. In fact, it might be the best decision you ever make. Here are a few reasons you don't need to get a job straight after college.

1) You might not know what your dream job looks like just yet.

For a lot of us this is the case. You might have studied something you found interesting but have no clue whether you want to pursue that as a career. Fear not! That's why it's a good idea to take a bit of time to yourself after college, maybe dabble in a few things and see what actually interests you in the long term.

2) You have serious wanderlust.

Don't we all. Why go straight into a job when you could go and travel the world. There will never be a better time to head off and explore; this is one of the few times in your life when you'll have so few responsibilities, so why not take advantage of that?

3) You want to live without structure.

Since you were four years old, you've lived within the boundaries of the education system. This is the first opportunity you'll have to live a life without structure. Going straight into a job can mean that you're forced to adhere to certain boundaries, be they the 9 - 5 hours or office regulations, and it can be incredibly freeing to live outside of that for a little while.

4) You have important things to learn from actually living that you could never learn from a job or college.

Actually going out and living life is the best way to learn. Make the world your university. Learn life skills that will help you when you do finally settle down into a job. Trust me, they'll benefit you so much more in the long run.

5) You need to get to know yourself.

Having spent so many years in the confines of school, it's hard to know who you really are. You've certainly grown up and changed, but you need to become the person you want to be and the work place isn't always the where to look to define yourself. For some people, they might find their identity in work, but for others, figuring out who you are and what you actually want from life takes time and isn't going to be found without some soul searching post-college.

6) You need time to recharge.

You've been doing the book learning thing for so long; it's exhausting. Finishing up your final year in college can be a tad bit traumatic, between exams and doing your thesis. So by time time June rolls around, you are burnt out. Going straight into the working world when you've barely recovered from pushing your brain to the brink of its retention capabilities might not be the best idea. Take some time to breathe and relax before throwing yourself into another stressful situation.