After School... What Next?

After School... What Next?I came across this as a comment while doom-scrolling on TwoCent some days ago. "After school, what next?" And for some reason, it stuck with me.The truth is, I'm just a few weeks away from signing out; finishing my final exams and officially becoming... jobless.Even though I've been thinking about this question since the beginning of this semester, I'm still yet to figure anything out. After school, what next?Because after school, shit gets real.You're officially on your own.There are no more classes, no more assignments, no more school hustle and bustle to keep you distracted or give you an excuse to procrastinate. Suddenly, your life is in your hands.Your parents expect you to start doing something meaningful with your life instead of calling home every time you need money. And then I catch myself thinking...I came into this world without my consent, and now somehow I'm expected to figure out this whole "life" thing on my own.My life just got dropped into my hands I just want to scream:"I'm just a girl!!!!!" Anyway.....Back to the topic.I've been thinking long and hard about what comes after school.Most people assume I'll simply move back to my parents' house and start building from there. But....whenever I really sit down and think about it, it's not that simple.After I finished secondary school, I stayed home for a while before I got admission into the university.During that period, my parents insisted I learn fashion design.I had absolutely no interest in it.Long story short, after plenty of dragging, I eventually gave in and learned it.Along the way, though, I discovered things I actually enjoyed.Graphic design, Web design, Web development, Content creation and...A couple of other digital gibberish.I won't bore you with the full list. The funny part is that My mum still thinks I'm unemployed because I'm not practicing fashion design.Typical African mother. So how exactly do I explain to her that I want to build a career online?Especially in the beginning, when all she'll see is me spending countless hours behind my laptop with little or nothing to show for it. How do you convince someone to believe in a future they can't yet see? I've considered so many different paths.Some of them make sense.Some of them even sound exciting.But whenever I imagine living those lives...Something just doesn't feel right. I want....MORE. And as dramatic as this might sound, I genuinely don't see myself working a traditional 9-to-5 for the rest of my life.The thought alone makes me want to cut my own hands. Someone once told me,"You don't figure everything out at the beginning. You figure it out as you go." I know they're probably right. But how do I convince my racing heart of that?How do I tell myself to calm down when my future is standing right in front of me, reminding me that my life is now my responsibility? That's terrifying. So, to everyone who's already crossed this bridge...How did you do it?How did you survive the "After school... what next?" phase? Because honestly...I have no idea what comes next. And if you've got any advice, I'd genuinely love to hear it.

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