Oh, the feelings experienced during graduation....GRADUATION, the
big day, everybody you know is in black and looks oh so good. You feel very proud to be
participating because you know you deserve this for all your hard work. Your name is
called, you walk out on the stage hoping not to trip, you get your diploma, and have 5
secs to do something original before walking off the stage. As the last of your friends
leaves the stage, hundreds of people with familiar faces start waving their caps in unison
and then all those caps are suddenly in the air...oh, the hugging and kissing and relief
mixed with sadness that it's actually over! (Then all of these hundreds of graduates have
to search the ground for a cap to return because they can't find their own.)
Next comes the HOLIDAY... Everybody has the same idea, to go on a well deserved holiday
and then look for work. The holiday continues for a few months, but each week becomes less
fun because you start realizing that in September, unlike the years before, you won't be
returning to Bilkent.
The big question, "have you found anything". At first this question doesn't
bother you because you're a new graduate, and you tell everybody you're taking a holiday
first. But as the months go on, anybody who asks that question and gets your answer starts
looking at you with disbelieving eyes, kinda saying "yeah, so you haven't found
anything and you're making excuses." Then you know it's time for job hunting. This
process has several emotional stages, beginning with the hopeful phase: "I can find
any job I want, it's just waiting for me in the papers or on the internet."
Later comes the worried phase: "How come I'm not getting any replies, I should be, I
just won't tell anybody that I'm not." But just when you're sick and tired of people
asking and your false grin saying you haven't exactly found what you're looking for, you
get a JOB. It wasn't what you had imagined you would be doing when you were sitting
studying for finals only a few months ago, but you realize that in order to get to the top
you have to start at the bottom.
The sooner you are comfortable with the idea that nobody becomes Mr. or Ms. Boss as soon
as they graduate, the happier you will be.
The FIRST DAY is always the hardest.... What was my reaction? I wanted so badly to be back
at Bilkent where I knew everything. I would rather be studying for a hard exam while
sipping my coffee and eating a muffin from Coffee Break..sigh.... It's hard being so
familiar with one place and then a stranger in another. But you know what, on the second
day it gets easier, and on the third even better. Before you know it, you start getting
used to this life and these new PEOPLE.
Here's a tip, at work there are all kinds of different people, not everybody is as well
educated or has had the privileges to experience the things you have.
The problem? Some people will be annoying and maybe their jealousy will even make your
life a bit difficult for the time being, especially if their position is a bit higher then
yours. But you will soon realize that your knowledge of English and how to use the net
will make a huge difference. The next stage? I'm gonna find out....
Sibel Muradošlu (POLS/'04)
