Senior Column: Life after graduation doesn't have to be scary

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about what lies ahead, but I can honestly say that it does not scare me.

I've known school for my entire life and now after 17 years of practice, it's time to apply what I've learned to the real world.

I wish I could say that Seton Hall has prepared me for any obstacle I might face in the future, but that wouldn't be true either.

However, I did learn some things about myself that will stick with me forever.

I am ecstatic to say that I will be graduating from Seton Hall University with a head full of good memories, a core group of friends that survived the journey with me, and most importantly, a diploma.

As a senior, it's normal to panic about the future.

In the back of our minds, we all think we're going to be tossed into the real world with our diploma and expected to overcome anything that comes our way.

But in reality, these should really be the best years of our lives, and that is what I hope I can say when I'm on my deathbed.

College was great, but now we're free from the shackles of the institution and shoved into a world of opportunity.

By no means am I glorifying the job market, but we live in a society that is constantly changing and adapting to new ideas, and these are the years to take advantage of it.

People ask me on a daily basis what I'm doing after I graduate.

The truth is I don't know what job I'm going to get or if I will get one at all. I do know what I want to be doing and I'm not going to stop until I'm happy where I am.

I didn't come to college just to get a job. I came to college to figure out what I want to get out of life, and learn how to do it along the way. I learned a new way of thinking, and that might be the most valuable piece of knowledge that I will take away from here.

My four years here have been a blur. I've had some of the best moments of my life and I've made plenty of mistakes in the process.

There's no doubt in my mind that I will continue to make mistakes, but I'm not afraid to make them because I know that I'll survive.

Nothing is permanent. And part of the thrill of life is not knowing what is going to happen next. It's okay to fear the unknown, but keeping an open mind and trying new things makes life worth living.

My advice to underclassmen would be to embrace your college years as you are exposed to an environment with more twists and turns than a backwards roller-coaster. Just enjoy the ride.

Mike Romano is a senior journalism major from West Orange, N.J. He can be reached at romanoma@shu.edu.