So you’re 21, 22 years old, you realize that you’re eligible to graduate in the spring semester if you finish just 12 more credits.’ The only problem is: you don’t know what you want to do, once you get that diploma. Growing up, your mother and father urged you to look at careers in law, and medicine. When you ignored their advice, your guidance counselors told you to pick a major in college that would support your application to graduate or medical school. You’ve even imagined yourself getting an advanced degree in childhood education. Basically, you’ve come to the end of your rope, and you need some help. What do you do? There are five things you can do:

Get a Job:
If you opt for this, you want to make sure it is a semi-permanent (you intend to stay there for over six months) full-time job. This will give you time to think about what you want to do for the long stretch (it may be working long-term for this company) along with providing you enough money to support yourself. This primary job will get you on your feet, make you more independent of your family and friends from college, and allow you to find out what type of practical work you want to do. There are several jobs you can find with only an undergraduate degree, check out www.monster.com for listings.

Start a Business:
This is often a very risky take on what to do after your undergraduate years. Starting a business often requires a stable state of mind, a decent sum of money, and a lot of time. Businesses are often trial and error options in the early years, since there are already a lot of ideas on the market. You need to find something fresh, and be able to support it with a lot of cash flow and time. If your business fails, you need to be prepared to suffer the repercussions and recover from the deficit you may endure. If you succeed, then you should look into the next step for another money-making idea! Check out: www.sba.gov/starting

Write a Book:
This option is for people who are not concerned with money issues, and need a creative outlet. This option allows you to collect your thoughts on college, and life and general, or any experience that may have affected you profoundly in the past four years. If you have decided to opt for the ‘start a business’ option and have succeeded, this may be a good opportunity to cash in by explaining your methods on becoming successful.

Travel/Become a Nomad:
This is another option for people who do not have any concerns for money or time. This option will allow you to explore the world around you (quite literally) and see it differently. Usually, people who travel after college take off a year and do European & Asian Tours. These tours are often life-changing and shape the person you will become in the next ten years. And who knows? You may find your calling in traveling. Check out: www.worldtravelguide.net

Volunteer for the Peace Corps:
This option is for people who need to ‘find themselves’. This often requires a tremendous time commitment, and the resources to get around the country, and even around the world. This becomes a life-altering journey, and sometimes awakens you to something you never thought you’d like. Check out: www.peacecorps.gov