WWJD: Post Graduation

With a mere 68 days left in the semester, graduation is creeping up on me faster than I had realized. The other day my parents asked me what my plan was for after I graduated. I told them I was currently looking for full-time job opportunities and that hopefully (in a perfect world) I would find something within the first 2-3 months post-graduation. I explained that in the mean time I plan to get 2 part-time jobs while I search. My dad chimed in, as he always does, saying, “Well, I think you should live at home for a year and commute to your job as long as it’s under an hour away from home. You should save your money for as long as possible so that when you do move into your own place, you’re prepared.” This was baffling to me at first because I had planned to move home after graduation for 3-4 months max., certainly not 12! His point is valid, it makes sense to stay at home and save my earnings, but I feel that’s compromising my freedom. I feel like you work so hard in school to get a degree and prepare yourself for your future career and being on your own that living at home for a whole year seems slightly counter-active.

I feel like this is a situation Jane would run into and has run into in different forms in the novel. Throughout the whole novel she is learning to balance the conflicting aspects of herself to find happiness in her life. Though she longs to have a sense of stability and a social circle in which she 'belongs' to, she also desires personal freedom and autonomy. I think, for my situation, she would do whatever makes her the happiest. She end up marrying Rochester in the end because he is what makes her happiest, and that’s evident in Chapter 38 where she narrates the story 10-years after they’ve been married. As far as my situation goes, I’m not sure what I will do. Making a concrete decision right now seems like I’m jumping the gun, so I think I will just go with the flow and decide when the time comes.