Letter From the Editor: “Planning” for Our Future

Olivia Silvey ’25

Editor-in-Chief

Okay, seniors – it’s time to talk about it. We’re graduating in less than eight months. Even though I am far from an expert, this week I want to talk about our future. What does it look like, and how do we get there?

These questions are ones that have been humming in the back of my mind for a few months now, although once I stepped foot on campus the realization that we will be Making Decisions this year hit home. Not to flex or anything, but that idea is rather pleasant and exciting for me; I’ve been enjoying thinking about my post-grad ventures, with only a dash of stress. I’m sure that many of you reading this will not agree, and to that I say – keep reading. 

Like I said, I’m not an expert. Nor am I a career coach or even a college graduate (yet). But in my own recent thinking about the future, I’ve come across some strategies that have helped me lean into the unknown of it all. A few weeks ago, I was in a meeting with someone introducing myself for the first time. She asked me what my plan after graduation was, and I threw out a few ideas that have been circling my brain, of course a little self-conscious that I didn’t have a definite 5-year plan. She said, and I quote, “You seem so grounded in that indecision. I wish I had been that way in college.” It was a fantastic compliment to receive. I told her a little bit about what made me feel so “grounded” recently (as I will tell you). 

Every week, my lovely mother and I meet over FaceTime to talk about the book “Designing Your Life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. (This article is not sponsored.) I’ve been told the Career Center is a huge fan of the book, but it hadn’t crossed my path until my mom proposed that we read the book together throughout the semester. At first, it felt a little corny – I’m not a huge fan of self-help books. But as my mom and I continue to work on it, the book is growing on me. (Or maybe I just love talking to my mom.) 

Basically, we read a chapter a week and then do the corresponding exercises/worksheets. The book is aimed to help its readers think beyond just, “what should my career be” or “what industry should I work in.” I’ve found that, so far, it’s been a great tool to help me understand my values, priorities, strengths and weaknesses, and how I can incorporate those aspects of myself into my next steps. 

That’s a little vague, so let me give you an example of an activity that we did last week, and how it helped me. We worked on the “Good Time Journal Activity Log.” Throughout the week, we wrote down some key activities and then quickly assessed 1) How engaged we were in said activity (maybe even reaching our “flow state”) and 2) How energized we felt after the activity, writing a little reflection on what parts of the activity were engaging/energizing vs. not. 

For example, one of my activities was running Tripod meetings. I feel a high level of engagement and fairly high energy afterwards. In my reflection, I parsed out which parts of the meetings contribute to that engagement/energy and which don’t. I realized I love sharing ideas and giving announcements, but I’m drained by figuring out story ideas on the micro level (hence why I always have Jules do it for me, thanks Jules). The authors of the book argue that understanding these aspects of yourself and what energizes you is key to designing a life you enjoy living. The meeting example shows that I thrive while working with macro ideas and leading meetings – so, if I’m searching for a job, I know what aspects will satisfy me and allow me to use my strengths, whether that’s in journalism, finance, education, hospitality or any other industry. 

The engagement activity also helped me recognize a pattern in my everyday life: I tend to commit to activities that are high in engagement, but absolutely drain me of my energy (hi InDesign and divestment negotiations!). I’m learning more about myself every day and how I need to structure my life. 

Just for fun, some of my other activities included: tutoring at the Writing Center (pretty high engagement and energy – I love connecting with people one on one!); working out (low engagement but high energy, which is rare); and writing my editorial every week (as I write this, I can confirm that I am incredibly engaged but ready to take a nap). 

My mom and I are only on chapter 4, so I don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle yet. But already, I see these activities impacting my day to day life as well as my thoughts for the future. Instead of trying to figure out if I will be happier as a journalist or an academic in 20 years, I’m paying attention to what activities engage and energize me, and what kind of post-grad plans would allow me to continue pursuing those activities. My point is, I don’t think it’s in our best interest to start preparing for life after graduation without learning about ourselves in this way. 

Remember that, like I said, I’m no expert. You aren’t either – we’re all just kids in college. (Shoutout to the faculty, administrators, parents, alumni and others who are reading this – I haven’t forgotten about you.) Whether you have your life planned out to a T or you’re indecisive like me, let’s remember to pay attention to what brings out our best selves, and to keep seeking it as we take our next steps. 

With peace,
OPS