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I graduated yesterday. I went to college in Des Moines, Iowa for the past 4 years. For a good portion of that time, I wished I could just get out and be somewhere that I could have more opportunities for photography and work. In my first year at school, I started a web design business and began working at an online radio station. I spent so much time working on these things the past 3 years, along with photography. I would work until 2 am, sleep, and repeat. By the end, I had a nice resume, but I wasn’t having the time of my life; I think that’s why I wanted out so badly.
It wasn’t until a few months ago I realized that I was an idiot. I couldn’t have been in a better place. There are a lot of things that make me happy outside of college, but they are absolutely fucking nothing to me in comparison to sleepless nights with my best friends. I wish I came to that realization sooner.
These are the 3 most important things I’ve learned at college:
- Read a newspaper every day
- Don’t drink tequila
- The best place on earth is wherever you are with friends
If you’re in school right now and want to be somewhere more exciting, just take a deep breath. Enjoy it, because when you close that chapter of your life you might feel different. Working is important to many people, and so is ‘making your mark.’ But don’t dismiss everything else as secondary because it’s not work.
I wouldn’t trade these past 4 years for anything, and if I could do them over again at the same college, I would. In retrospect, the only things I might change are to spend every damn night with my friends, and drink less tequila. Some tequila… just a bit less.
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