We have reached a point in the 
semester where school work is 
inescapable. Holidays are still far enough away to not offer a reprieve, but the newness of classes has long worn off. In this space of stress and constant exhaustion, it’s easy to wonder: what’s the point?

Many, if not most of us, were raised with the expectation that 
we would work hard in elementary school and middle school so that we could take good classes in 
high school. We were told to work hard in high school to get into a good college and get good 
scholarships. We’re told to work hard now to be prepared to get a 
good job when we graduate. That last item is where the problem lies.

In an economy that’s growing but is still uncertain in some fields, not everyone has a job at graduation. They worked and did what they were 
supposed to, and then they reach the start line of adulthood, and by the 
basic measures we grew up with, 
they don’t get what they worked 
for. So, is it all pointless? Should we give up and go do a lot of drugs because even if we work hard, we may not get 
the reward?

No. First off, in all likelihood you’re going to find a job eventually. According to the National Center for 
Education Statistics, 91 percent 
of college graduates between the ages of 20 and 24 are employed. Those 
are pretty good odds. Also, if you’d given up a long time ago, say 
before you graduated from high school, your odds would be much lower. You’d only have a 51 percent chance of being employed. There is 
hope that you will get what we all worked for.

Let’s say you don’t, though. Somebody is in that 9 percent. Given a chance 
to know that in advance, would you 
give up the experience you’re having right now? After your midterms, did you post in a GroupMe to complain? Did you know that those people have your back whether you pass the tests or not? On a Saturday, did you take a break from studying to go watch the Crimson Tide completely annihilate another team? Did you feel the sun on your face and look up at a sky so blue it hurts? Did you call your parents and know that they’re proud of you just for being here? Did you wake up one or two days in the past month without setting an alarm and take a minute to enjoy just being alive?

It’s not all about a job, folks. 
This is a wonderful time we’ve 
been given. Let’s enjoy it and appreciate the school parts where we can. Some people say that college is the best four years 
of your life. Choose not to believe 
that. Choose to learn and grow as much as you can here and make memories to take with you into a future that you can’t 
possibly imagine. Things will get 
better from here, whether there’s a job 
waiting at graduation or not. 
Things will get better because you can make them better, and because you won’t have 
to do it alone. There are 39,999 other people asking the same questions you are who will be right there next to you.

Allison Mollenkamp is a junior majoring in English and theatre. Her 
column runs biweekly.