Graduation is not nearly as glamorous as Hollywood makes it out to be.

I have no sordid affair to reveal, no closet to come out of, and no bullies to finally stand up to.

This life milestone will be marked by a commencement ceremony presumably not unlike any others. A few words from the president, call the names, shake hands, shift the tassels, then hip-hip-hooray; I am done.

But as my fellow graduates and I march in to “Pomp and Circumstance” and the rumble of applause from our onlooking families, a single question will be weighing in our minds: What’s next for me?

From our parents to the evening news, everyone has repeatedly warned us we are graduating into a struggling economy.

The Graduating Student Survey Report of the spring 2009 semester released by Sacramento State’s Office of Institutional Research showed that only 22 percent of graduating participants who were actively searching for jobs actually had job offers.

With the economy just as bleak as it was half a year ago, this is not exactly what any degree-wielding new member of the “real world” wants to hear.

But there is far more to life after graduation than being tied down to a career.

Theresa, who asked that her last name be withheld, graduated last spring with a degree in mass media communication.

“After graduation, life has been slow and not very productive,” she said. “I had a job as a receptionist in a medical office that did colonoscopies and endoscopies, and I hated it. “

But she does not view that as a setback at all. Her break from the workforce has given her the opportunity to experience post-grad life in other ways.

“I have had all these interesting experiences. I have sold my artwork and made some money. I have been a panhandler; I met some hitchhikers and did some hitchhiking myself,” she said.

If living paycheck to paycheck seems stressful, it is even scarier trying to live day to day depending on people’s spare change or willingness to pull over.

Most are not willing to trade in their degree for a scrap of cardboard that reads “Please help,” but it is a reality that some feel forced to choose.

We all work so hard just to get our hands on that piece of paper that tells us we are good enough to build a career.

Too easily, we forget that there is so much life to live that cannot be found sitting behind a desk or donning a uniform for the rest of our adult lives.

“If I based my life on my accomplishments, I don’t have that much going for me, so I’m just doing a lot of self discovery. Even though I’m failing in regards to a career right now, I’m a happy person,” Theresa said.

Sure, happiness and soul-searching do not pay the bills. But if there is one thing that debt should teach us, it is that there are “priceless” things that “money can’t buy.” For everything else, there is – well, you get the idea.

It is a tremendous achievement to graduate with a job waiting for you. But there is no reason to be ashamed if a career is not quite yet in the cards.

Life after graduation is what you make of it. Your degree should not become a life sentence, but rather a ticket to freedom.