As many of us who have been graduated from high school or attended college for at least five minutes have experienced, adults all around us are constantly want to know “What’s next?” “Where are you headed from here?” The variations are countless, but the gist of it remains the same: “what’s next?” The question tends to produce a momentary panicked glance – perhaps at parents, if they’re not the ones asking, but most likely the glance is towards a peer, in hopes that they can help you deflect the asker to some other topic. For most of the last two years, I have laughed many nervous laughs and sent many panicked glances at friends and occasionally a parent as I get asked this question. My standard answer was something vague, or maybe an outright admission that I honestly had no clue. I didn’t know where I was headed- in my mind I’d just gotten somewhere new! Nonetheless people kept asking, and I kept avoiding complete answers.

Something funny happened this August, however, when my grandmother once more asked me what was next for me. For the first time in a good while, I actually had an answer for her. I told her that I would probably be looking for a master’s degree in gender and women’s studies (my current major), and would take it from there. I might start working for a non-profit, or I might decide I wanted to stay in academia, get a master’s in library science, and become an academic librarian. I was also planning on applying for a Fulbright during my senior year, I added, almost as an afterthought. Once I stopped talking I was caught up in a wave of shock – I had actually answered the dreaded question! I had never before been able to give someone an actual answer to that question, and suddenly I was able to give one without any hesitation. I hadn’t even mentioned all of my ideas – I might even consider getting a PhD and becoming a professor like my mother. Instead of feeling like I had no answer, I felt like I had a plethora. So as I sat on my couch later that day I stopped to think about how I’d been able to give her that answer. What had changed in the last six months?

Last spring I did a series of appointments with CP&R, talking about career ideas, doing a Myers-Briggs assessment, and exploring the possibility of alumnae contacts whom I could ask about their experiences. While I hadn’t thought of it as a life-changing decision at the time, it seemed that it had had more of an impact than I realized. I hadn’t gone to CP&R seeking solid answers, nor had I gotten any, but it seemed that just the act of talking about, and thinking about, what might come “next” had given me the ability to answer that dreaded question. But I’m curious- how have others been able to answer this question? Or maybe you’re one of the people still unable to answer it – what ways have you come up with to avoid specific answers? Do other people dread this question as much as I used to? Tell me I’m not alone!