I just want you to know, yes you, the one reading this with a million and one worries about life and where you will end up, that one day, you will finish school and get that degree you have been waiting for.

This seems like such a random topic and a given for people who may assume that if you are enrolled in school, graduation will eventually be upon you, but the journey through college for some of us is a very difficult one.

Life happens and different situations, whether it be health related, having children, financial issues, difficulty choosing a major and perhaps other unexpected life events can get in the way of your journey with school and the dream of graduating and going off to start a career can seem like it will never happen.

And with social media and everyone sharing pictures in their caps, holding flowers and smiling as they celebrate a milestone in their life, believing that you will one day get there can be an incredible struggle. 

I know for me, as someone who has dealt with depression and relapses as well, at one point I thought I would have to drop out of school and call it quits on my dreams completely. I literally thought everything that I was going through was so bad that I would never make it back to school for a semester and that I would never become a writer, as well as grappling with the fact that I spent loads of money and time and energy on this degree.

I know that school isn’t the be all and end all of life, but when you have invested in an education and it is something that you truly want, you want to finish what you started and graduating is a big deal for those who have made a commitment to going off to college.

I remember talking to my friend at the beginning of the school year about when he thinks he’ll graduate as well and his response was, “I have a long way to go as well. Sometimes you do feel bad about it because everyone else seems to be graduating before you. You feel so behind.”

If you think you are the only one who has had struggles while in college and share in these sentiments, know that it is actually a pretty common feeling across the board for millennials today.

For one woman who thought she would graduate from school in four years, it surprised her when she began to face real-life challenges that got in the way.

“My entire life I had heard that I would graduate in four years and I knew there was no way I would be graduating in that time span. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and because I was in and out of the hospital, I was out of school for a while and seeing my friends made me sad. All my friends were still on track to graduate and I was a little embarrassed because I felt left behind. ”

It definitely sucks to feel like you are behind everyone else and that everyone is moving on in life and with their careers before you. Trust me, with my experiences, I now live it and believe me when I tell you I know the devastation that comes with feeling like you will never get to where you want to be.

But you will.

Even if it takes you two more years to graduate and you start your career a little later, you will be more prepared because you will have life experiences under your belt and know yourself and your passions a little bit more.

You’ve given yourself time to figure things out. 

I don’t know what has gotten in the way, what life has thrown at you and what you may be facing in your life, but I want you to know that your time is coming. Yes, life may get in the way of things such as your education, but as long as you are still in the game, as long as you keep at it, you will get there and be able to walk down that stage and accept your diploma one day.

Your moment to shine is coming, even if it wasn’t in the way you thought it would be.

A detour in the road doesn’t mean you won’t get to your destination.

All of your late nights, tears, sweat and hard work hasn’t gone to waste.

Just for your reminder, no matter how long it takes, you will graduate.