By Penny Theodorakopoulou,
You are either a 17 or 18-year-old student in Senior High School in Greece who has just graduated and has had the Panhellenic Exams in order to get into the field of studies of your choice, the entrance of which completely relies on how much you excelled in the exams. Moving on a couple of months later, the results are announced; you have successfully entered the university you wanted and you are going to study the field of studies that you so strove for at least a year in Senior High School. Congratulations on your success!
First academic year, first semester, in a new town/city. As a freshman, you still lack the confidence to either take the right notes, speak in the amphitheater during the lectures, or even make friends. However, slowly but steadily you adapt to the situation that bears the name “university student’s life”, overcome possible fears, and have results, either instantly or periodically. Your notes seem to improve, you start asking questions about things you might not understand (perhaps even have a conversation with the professor at the end of the lecture), and you have formed a couple of friendships.
And then, your very first university exams take place. The professors kept telling you that it is not like high school and you are not obliged to learn everything by heart, for the sole reason that you will not truly learn anything but rather just get a good grade and you have really tried to do that. It might not have worked at 100% but the stress of thinking that you will fail if you forget a word from your or your professor’s notes is not present; resulting in passing either some or all your subjects of your first semester. Repeat that for another exam and there goes the first academic year. Congratulations on successfully passing the first year! Three more to go!
Way fast forward to the far, far future: the fourth academic year. You have successfully passed every subject and have done your internship and your senior thesis, waiting for the swearing-in ceremony to take place so you can graduate after all those years of hardship. Again, congratulations on your graduation!
“Now what?”
If you are a graduate or graduand, you must have surely asked yourself that question at least once. In Greek — and not only — society, you are considered a “successful” young person for having a university degree at a young age. Now, you ought to “use” that degree of yours in order to find a job. But how is that possible, when the majority of employers ask for a 22-year-old with 30 years of experience? Of course, that is not possible and I am being over the top, but the reality is not so far from what I just said. They expect someone who has just graduated to not only have worked at all in their lives but also have worked at a specific job for 2, maybe even 3 years. So, unless you find a job, which most likely will not be a job you want but a job you need to start being financially independent, you remain languorous, with nothing to do.
The question appears yet again: “Now what?”. (Greek) society has the audacity to expect someone in their 20s to not only find a stable job, live their lives, and be successful, but also find a partner, get married, and have children; and all that until the late 20s. Because once someone has reached 30 and has not done either any or some of the aforementioned things, they are reminded almost constantly that “time is running out”, especially for women, because “you must have a family while you can; then it will be too late for you”.
Society can be demanding because previous generations managed to do all those things at the “right time”. But things are different. Times are different. Every generation is different. Our parents, grandparents, and so on cannot possibly expect us to have a job and a family by our 30. Of course, there are expectations but that must not be applied to every single person, especially when it is difficult to find a job, socialize, or even find a partner sometimes.
But I believe in you. I believe in us. Things might be difficult now, even uncertain, but we will make it, sooner or later. Better be late but certain about specific life choices than rush things and regret them. So, dear reader, no matter how old you are, enjoy your life, take your time, but most importantly, have faith in yourself and your actions. As Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it”.
