WRITTEN BY VALERIA BRUGUERAS | ILLUSTRATED BY JAZMIN SAUNDERS

Graduating often marks the rebirth of a college student. After four years of classes, constant homework and endless projects — stepping out of the pre-assembled sequence of a confused freshman, slightly less-confused sophomore, fairly certain junior and degree-awarded senior — entering the real world can feel weird and almost violating.

Picture Sandro Boticelli’s iconic “Birth of Venus,” appearing to the world exposed — in our case, we are bare sans our artistic capabilities to disguise our nakedness.

The intensity of an art-focused education can leave students feeling burnt-out. By the start of a graduate’s career, the initial dream is so overworked it becomes more of a nightmare. Many end up in a career that is in the complete opposite direction of what they aspire for. Alumna Silena Luque, B.F.A. fashion (2018), said, “My life out of SCAD was nothing like I imagined, my journey in fashion quickly merged into graphic design and illustration.”

It’s okay to veer from your path, change your mind, or take a break from your chosen field. Oftentimes, one finds that the talents they’ve cultivated are more useful in a different environment, or the obstacles we encounter push us to new endeavors. “Realizing things were not working as I planned was difficult to grasp, but now I am glad it happened as I got the opportunity to explore the different industries that I connect more with but still incorporate what I studied,” explained Luque.

Your own expectations may limit your understanding of what you’re capable of, and you’ll never know unless you try and experience as much as you can. Your major may not be a pure yellow brick road for career success. Life after college should ultimately be about developing your resilience towards facing obstacles in life and adaptability as a creative.