Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer
I’m one month away from walking across the stage as an online student after three years and I don’t know what I am going to do after.
I remember the first classes I took during the summer of 2022, fresh off graduating high school. My first impressions were good. My SLS 1501 class with Dr. Clara Barman was one of the best classes I ever took, and that experience gave me hope for the rest of my college career.
There were other course highlights, like LIT 4931 with Dr. Amy Huseby, THE 2000 with Dr. Terry Hardcastle (whom I interviewed in my first official article) and HFT 4376 with Dr. Yselande Pierre, which combined my love for literature and entertainment.
Despite the good memories, I still can’t help but feel like some of it came with a cost. Since I did all of my schooling online, there was a veil between what my experience was like and the traditional in-person college experience.
Every day was the same. Completing assignments and attending Zoom meetings day in and day out with very few moments to myself or with friends. Endlessly staring at a screen and trying my best not to fall asleep while going through my daily routine.
But despite the struggles, if FIU Online wasn’t an option, I wouldn’t be a panther today.
FIU Online opened a door for me, but it didn’t guarantee me the same connections in-person students had which makes me terrified of what life will be like after graduation.
My time as an online student shows that I’m currently limited in what jobs I can look for and the social expectations that come with it.
While going to an office and interacting with people is exciting, I don’t want to feel like I’m a new character in season five of their office lives.
I don’t want my social anxiety to get the best of me, yet most of my online connections throughout college were superficial at best.
I also have to limit my job options on LinkedIn to ones that are around my immediate area or remote work because of the financial obstacles.
I recently learned about the rise of ghost jobs, or fake job postings convincing enough to be mistaken for real job listings. I am hesitant to apply for one because I can’t afford to land a phantom position.
This makes the job market even more uncertain than what it already is, so I have no idea where my next job will be.
Compared to an in-person student, stepping out of my comfort zone is one of the scariest things I could possibly do as I move forward.
My life as an online college student is coming to an end and it was anything but black and white. Nevertheless, I’m glad to have the chance to get the education needed to pave the way for my future I needed to prepare.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.
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