The final chapter.
I'm not sure how to feel about life after college. For me, the emotions I'll feel upon graduating sits somewhere between anxiousness and excitement and being scared to death. I'd be a liar if I didn't say that part of me didn't want it to happen. I mean, I've always known that I'd eventually get my bachelors degree. Since a young age, my parents instilled in me the importance of a quality education, and it was a no-brainer to me to ultimately graduate from a prestigious college or university. And even though I expected to get here all along, it feels unreal to actually be in this position. All I know for sure is that I've got some great pals who are coming along for the ride toward graduation with me, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
It was bittersweet leaving my job at Fort Monmouth today (I work in the Contracting Center). I'm obviously excited to be going off to Ramapo, but I'm going to miss certain elements of my job, like my fellow interns (Nicole, Michelle, and Nicole). We shared so many laughs and memories, and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better group of people to spend countless days with over the last two summers. I'm also going to miss some of the older co-workers who sat near me. They had such personalities, which is why my job would make an excellent sitcom. Marie was my favorite. She treated me like her grandson and we'd talk every morning when I got in and every afternoon before I head home. The contracting work itself was interesting too, and, strangely enough, I think I enjoyed being up early every morning among the coffee drinkers/addicts (still not a fan), and driving to work with the rising sun glaring in my eyes. It makes me feel like an adult.
At the end of the day, I packed up all my belongings and marched out of the building, but stopped along the way to wave goodbye, exchange hugs, and shake a few hands. As I shook the hands of my co-workers, I was constantly asked if I was going to stick with the government after college. I couldn't really give them a straight answer because I'm really not sure. What I do know is that contracting isn't something I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm going to want a job that's more accounting-oriented, I'm just unsure if I want to work in public accounting, private accounting, or government accounting.
Some preliminary ideas I'm having include working for one of the big public accounting firms in the city such as KPMG, for a smaller-scale accounting firm such as one of the few located in Red Bank, for the IRS in Freehold (Nicole Reilly and I have a running gag that we're going to work for the IRS just so we can carry guns around), for the DCAA (Defense Contract Auditing Agency) in Monmouth county, for the Government Accountability Office in Washington D.C, or for the FBI as a forensic accountant. Of course, many of these job possibilities might not be obtainable, but I can aim high, can't I? And if the job search doesn't end up being as successful as anticipated, I can always apply for a full-time position at my current job, which would require that I move to Maryland to continue working a contracting job for the Army (Fort Monmouth is closing and the jobs are being relocated to Aberdeen Proving Grounds). Like I said, that's a last resort kind of thing; not because I don't enjoy the type of work, but because moving to Maryland would be such a massive change for me.
So here we are. The final stetch. I'm game.
As for what the future will hold post-college?
Well, we'll know when we get there.
