Originally I was supposed to be writing about why I can&t wait to get out of Sacramento, and how I am eagerly looking forward to graduating and leaving this town.

Leaving Sacramento is something I look forward to because I am more of a Bay Area girl. I miss being within 30 minutes from Santa Cruz and 45 minutes from San Francisco.

I miss being surrounded by foothills, and feeling the cool fog rolling over the hills into Silicon Valley at the end of every day. Driving through these hills creates the impression that your getting away from the congestion and city areas; taking only a few minutes to get off the beaten path.

I&ve realized it&s not that I don&t enjoy Sacramento; I&m just more at ease in the Bay.

At this point I&m down to my last year in school. My fingers are crossed that my advisers and I have not forgotten anything that will extend my stay here. As much as Sacramento has embraced me for the last year and as eager as I am to go back to what I consider my home, an odd thought has struck me: &what next?&

I have taken the appropriate path for my major. I have studied and will continue for the next year. I have entertained internships and on-the-job training on campus. Still I think as we all grow closer to that graduation date we start to wonder if we will be able to pay off all of our college loans with the weight of our degree.

It&s a scary thing when you hear new graduates say that it took them six to eight months to find a job after graduation. I&m pretty sure they don&t offer student loans for the year after graduation.

My job is on campus so I will not be able to keep my current employment after graduation. And to even ask about a savings account or parental support is laughable 8211; both are just not there.

All of these unknowns have kept me up at night, well only one night but still I&m a woman who likes her sleep. However, I realized that night that I can&t just wait for my fate to unravel.

I am not one to always listen to my parents, but suddenly the words I loathed for so long have begun to ring true. If we don&t want to be stuck eating Top Ramen and canned chili for the rest of our lives we must be proactive.

In order to make sure we don&t get stuck in a &what to do now?& rut, we have to look to our future as if it starts tomorrow. Career fairs, checking online for career opportunities, visiting the Co-Operative Education Office and the Career Center are all ways we can begin to take control of our future.

Another way to ensure that we are not left with nothing at the end of this journey is to begin making contacts and networking out. People want to hire these proactive types. Showing interest a year in advance shows you&re serious.

I realize that going back to the Bay may not be a reality. The cost of living is atrocious compared to Sacramento.The people in Sacramento have given me chances and opened doors I never knew existed.

Sacramento, with your small town quaintness we may just be in this for the long haul and I think I will be OK with where ever opportunity knocks.