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Monday, June 15, 1998

Life beyond UCLA walls doesn't look promising

As cliche as it sounds, the last few weeks have been a blur of denial, anxiety and overwhelming confusion.

I'm graduating. My one, clear, attainable goal throughout my last 18 years in school has been reached. And in less than a week, I'll be unemployed and paying $8 to watch "Saving Pvt. Ryan."

For the first part of my senior year, graduating seemed like a dream come true. Only three more quarters until I would never have to write another paper on some asinine topic like Russian ballet or contemporary Cuban cinema. Only three more quarters until Murphy Hall would be a forgotten nightmare.

But now, as the last days of class approach, the bells of Powell ringing as I run to class are making me strangely nostalgic. What was my rush anyway?

I read somewhere that only 38 percent of UCLA students finish in four years, so why didn't I spend some extra time "finding myself" and switching majors. After all, the only reason I really picked political science was from the pressure of my 15th "You have now completed X units and must pick a major immediately" letter. And it's one of the few north campus majors that doesn't garner a snicker from strangers.

Post-college, angst-ridden films like "Reality Bites" and "Kicking and Screaming" are starting to become strangely enlightening as I rent them again with a new perspective. I guess what really scares me, though, is the notion that "the best days are behind me." Because if that's the case, I need to start all over.

I recently ran into an old keg buddy of mine who graduated two years ago. After a year of travelling around the world, he has finally entered the real world of the forbidding 9-to-5 desk job. His words of wisdom? "Enjoy your last quarter. Forget about school and party every night. These are the best days of your life." Yikes.

Like many seniors graduating in the next few weeks, a post-university job is still an abstract notion. Sure I went to a couple of random career fairs on campus, cover letters and resume in hand, ready to look for a job.

However, after talking to a few reps from different companies, "headhunting" didn't sound like something I wanted to do. Neither did "research analyst" or "administrative assistant." And despite daily online chats with JOBTRAK, there just aren't that many businesses that are desperate to snag a 23-year-old with a political science degree who's fluent in French.

Newspapers and television may be telling me the truth when they say this is the best job market in years for college graduates, but then why do over a third of Dominos pizza delivery people have a degree?

So, like a lot of other recent grads, free rent and great food (courtesy of my parents) is looking to be the realistic alternative. And while I'm there catching up on "Become a millionaire in less than a month and never work again!" infomercials, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to ponder the multiple uses of a political science degree. And if nothing inspiring comes to me, then there's always graduate school.

Marie Blanchard

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