When talking to people my age, I often hear them say how excited they are to be done with college, but how nervous they are about the outside world. Specifically, stress about life when there is no college tying it together. The part of life when you are pushed into the world, diploma in hand, and are told to fend for yourself.

I once had a lengthy phone conversation with a close friend where he described the stress of having to work nearly every week in order to make rent. Every week, he worked the usual full time, got groceries, and paid his monthly bills. He said that despite how casual it all sounds, if he ever failed he would be homeless, and that really stuck with me.

I am currently in my senior year at Northern, and unless something goes horribly wrong, I will be ending my college career on Dec. 16. I will tell you again and again that there is nothing I want more than to never set foot in a classroom and simply work for the rest of my life, praying I can earn enough money to retire one day.

Even then, I fully intend on being one of those old guys that do a “soft retirement,” and hopefully work at a Barnes & Noble somewhere, if those still exist. Simply put, I can’t stress enough how badly I want to work for the rest of my life.

I know that might sound a little ridiculous, but I’ve daydreamed about being able to focus on my job without having to worry about papers and exams just as much as I’ve thought about walking out of the Superior Dome with my cap and gown. 

It goes back to this last summer, where my only commitment was work. I worked and worked, then worked some more, then did it all again the next week. But when I wasn’t at work, I did whatever I wanted. I tried out new recipes. I went to the gym more. I read a bunch of books. I spent a day driving with my dad to move a couch on the other side of the U.P.

The point is, I had time to do all this stuff I actually wanted to do. I was never stressing over assignments and projects. I was stressing over actual, tangible work that I did in the field I studied for. I was way past sitting in the classroom taking notes. I was learning from doing, which I would do a thousand times before I’d sit in a classroom.

I get why not everyone feels the same way. Working all the time and supporting yourself is scary. I still find it a little scary too. I also have the privilege of living near my friends and family, so I have a support system in case I fall down, and that’s not always the case for everyone.

But the added responsibility means added freedom too. Once you clock out of work, the day isn’t anyone’s except your own. It’s up to you how you want to take advantage of that, and I think that’s one of the best feelings in the world.