Seniors hate being asked what they are doing after they graduate. It seems to be an automatic question, as if being a senior means the next step is a corporate job and getting out into the "real world." The whole world can be an office - why be confined to a cubicle?
In "Delaying the Real World," recent Yale graduate Colleen Kinder introduces some college graduates who have done almost anything but trade in their sweats and jeans for a business suit.
Washington, D.C., ranks fifth on her list of "Top 10 Cities for Young People," so if you decide to stay here, Kinder offers a variety of Web sites to help find a job or a volunteer opportunity. For those who decide to go abroad, there is an abundant collection of Web sites and resources to send travelers on their way.
In each chapter, Kinder provides a list of helpful Web sites, ranging from www.hec.org, the Web site of the Himalayan Explorers Connection, through which participants teach in a Sherpa school near Mt. Everest while living with Sherpa families; to www.volunteerinternational.org, which has a database of abroad volunteer programs. Each chapter includes testimonials from people who have delayed the real world after college and succeeded.
Those who are thinking, "I have loans to pay off, I can't go volunteer anywhere," never fear. Kinder addresses financial concerns throughout her book, providing resources for scholarships, fellowships and grants to support many of the opportunities offered.
"Delaying the Real World" will give graduates ideas to settle the upcoming and often scary reality of graduating, especially those not quite sure where to go from here. But Kinder's real lesson teaches that delaying the real world just means delaying the mainstream idea of what the "real world" is. The jobs and volunteer opportunities Kinder includes in her book still involve tremendous hard work and dedication, so one would certainly not be escaping the real world and doing nothing for a year.
Kinder escaped the traditional real world upon graduating by living in Cuba and volunteering with the elderly. Her perspective is fresh and young, one that many readers will relate to. To find out where the road leads outside of American University, pick up Kinder's book and discover a world of available opportunities.
