What are you doing after you graduate?

So, you graduated. What a spectacular milestone you have reached. For some of you, you are the first in your family to graduate college; you are making history. Now what? What's next in line as you step out of afternoon naps, talk shows and into the real world? Where will your unique path lead you next?

For some of you, a job and more money is on the horizon. You're tired of being a broke college kid, and all you want to do is make some money, live an apartment and buy a car. However, will 2010's job market be as dull as 2009's? Will searching for a job be harder than the past four years you worked your tail off to obtain your degree?

Kimberly Watts, Director of Career Development, advises students to be proud of what you have accomplished thus far in your life and to not sell yourself short when looking for a job.

"I find often times that students discount the experiences they do have," Watts said. "For example, they'll say I haven't had a 'real' job. I hate that phrase. Every job is a real job. Whether it's work-study, whether it's being a resident assistant, whether it's being a reporter for the student newspaper or whether you've had an internship for credit, it's what you make of it. So I would encourage people to not discount the experiences they do have because often times you have more experience than you realize."

For those of you who aren't quite ready to give up your wonderful life and the homework that comes with it, your next stop is at the front of a new school, a graduate school. What do you plan on doing? And how hard is it to find the "right" graduate school for you with so many choices?

For the rest of you, joining the military is your dream. Maybe you already know what you would like to pursue and maybe you don't. For some, the idea of going in and immediately being recognized for the hard work you put in to obtain your degree is exalting and something you deserve. You dream of achieving excellence and, to you, excellence is red, white and blue.

If you're just confused about the direction your life is heading, it's okay. A normal person would get a little confused thinking about their career, where they're going to live and what their finances might be like. The question, "What are you going to do now?" will turn into your least favorite phrase and, eventually, selective hearing will take over and you'll no longer comprehend the words. Not everyone has a plan for post graduation. For some of you, the sky is the limit and everything is a possibility.

"Pretty much my options are open," Danny Oughton, senior business major, said. "I have my resume set up to apply for jobs, and I have it on the Internet for career path finder search engines. Also, if I wanted to join the military, I could just do that when I graduate if I don't find the job that I want. Another thing I was thinking about doing is trying to start up an Internet business with a friend of mine. If that works out, then I won't have to get a job, so I have different opportunities."

Similar to Oughton, Josh Lozano, senior communication studies major, also isn't setting a definite post-grad route.

Lozano would like to move back to California near Venice Beach or Los Angeles. However, he sees other lights at the end of the tunnel as well.

"[If moving to California] doesn't work out, my other plan is to be able to go to school for photography in Florence, Italy," Lozano said. "The reason I chose that place is because my mother studied abroad over there, and she said that that school was excellent in the arts and that she really enjoyed herself when she was over there."

As the reality of graduating sets in, emotions are evoked in seniors that they were never sure they've felt before. Like any new experience, moving into what so many parents like to call the "real world" can be nerve-racking.

"[Going to Italy] is something that could actually, possibly happen," Lozano said. "It's kind of scary but kind of cool at the same time because I'll be moving to a completely different country and will have to get acclimated to the area and environment, [which] is always kind of difficult."

While not all of you may be moving to another country for graduate school, choosing the grad school that fits your needs and getting accepted is the next stop on your list of things to do. Right after giving yourself a much needed break, of course.

"After I graduate, during the summer, I'm going to kind of take it easy and save up some money because, starting in August, I'm going to be going to grad school at the Urshan Graduate School of Theology," Chris Green, senior communications major, said.

Andrew Femath, senior communication studies major, is also hoping for a personal vacation after obtaining his brand new bachelor's degree.

"I, hopefully, want to take some time off and then go to law school," Femath said. "I wasn't ready to take the LSAT and was too busy here to study and focus on taking it. So I need to study and prepare myself for that and then get into a law school."

It isn't uncommon that graduate school is the choice that most college grads are making recently.

"It's becoming more and more common to have a bachelor's degree," Watts said. "I think that's part of the reason we see graduate applications going up. It depends on your field for sure, but it is becoming more and more important to think about graduate school as part of your career development."

However, maybe the commonality of bachelor's degrees isn't to blame for the increase in students attending grad school these days. Some think it's the cut-throat economy that's forcing students to further their education.

"I think [going to grad school] might be a trend right now," Watts said. "That's happened before when there's been an economic downturn. The graduate school applications go up because people want to either attain an additional qualification or two or transition into different career fields through that graduate education."