Ready or not, here you go. Right out into the real world.

With graduation approaching the uncertainties are appearing. We have always been led to believe that you get a college degree and the world is an open door. An open door to what?

Are jobs we want to have for the rest of our lives just going to appear the day after graduation? I can’t begin to tell you what I want to be doing four years from now – let alone the rest of my life. I am a freshman who can’t even decide on a major – having changed my mind at least 30 times.

Some students are lucky and have their lives and careers all mapped out and have been prepared for it. Others not so much.

I have a family friend who is 30 and still unable to find a job in her field and has to still live at home with her family. Granted, she could find a job outside the realm of expertise, but after all the hard work and money spent to attend KU, she does not want to settle for any old job.

That’s another predicament for today’s college graduates: where are they expected to live? After a sheltered life on campus for four years, they are kicked to the curb. Rent, utilities, food? Some are able to secure jobs that help pay the bills. For other unfortunate ones, it means returning home to their parents’ basement.

Is a family the next step? Some start this step earlier than others by getting married, having a child or doing both during their college years. Can these students take care of themelves – more or less – a spouse and a child?

Who comes up with these stages in life anyway? Obviously someone who has not had the pressures of being a college student. Internships, theses, job interviews, job fairs and finals are overwhelming enough without adding real life to the mix. Some cannot wait to grow up. Me? I think I will wait a while.