by Mariah Sturdivant
Published on May 15th, 2022
Education
On May 15th, 2021 I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. As the year of my graduation is approaching, I thought that I would share my experiences about my life after college.
One of the first things that I knows I wanted to do after graduation was to attend graduate school to pursue my Master's degree in Creative Writing. I wanted to gain more knowledge on writing and improve my writing skills so I knew that graduate school was the right path. But, for graduate school, I wanted to stay in Chicago to save money. So, I researched as many schools as possible until I finally found one.… Roosevelt University.
As of now, I am attending Roosevelt University pursuing my Master’s degree in Creative Writing. I have already taken so many classes that helped me in my creative writing process. I even got some experience with editing through an internship for one of my classes at Roosevelt. This internship was for a literary magazine called the Oyez Review, which consists of editors that are students at Roosevelt.
Fitness
As you may all know, I was a student-athlete. So, I had to fill that void of not being able to work out as vigorously as I did in college. To fix that, I just continued working out at a gym close to my house. Even though it is not as challenging, it is still something that keeps me in shape and keeps my body moving. One of the things that I was worried about was how much weight I would gain once I was done swimming. Now, that thought is in the back of my mind since I found an outlet where I can keep myself in shape. I also still check in once in a while on my college team to see how they are doing.
Career
One of my biggest questions was what kind of career I was going to get after college. I knew that I wanted to become a journalist, so I looked on Indeed and did some research. I wrote cover letter after cover letter for days while also trying to keep up with other job opportunities that I was pursuing. I am still in this process, but one of the main lessons is to never give up. Some companies will turn you down but do not let that discourage you.
A useful tip is to have a backup plan while searching for jobs that fit your major. For example, I am a lifeguard right now until I have an internship/job that relates to my field. I have been a lifeguard since I was sixteen years old, only working in the summers. After graduating, I turned my summer job into a year-round position to keep a steady income. I have since then created a savings account that is going steady and keeps me on the right track.
Future
I am still applying to jobs that correlate with my major. However, I think that I am still on the right track. Once I get a job in my field then I know that all that hard work did pay off. I am exploring all of my options. In a couple of years, I will have graduated with a Master's degree in Creative Writing and I hope that that will open more doors for me!
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