I distinctly remember the feeling I had walking out of the last class I would ever attend as an undergraduate. I felt a sense of freedom, for starters. No more cramming for finals, no more forced group projects and no more ridiculously long essays.

I was done.

Smiling, I let out a sigh of relief, walked to my car, turned the radio up and rolled the windows down.

Fast forward a few weeks and a completely different feeling set in as I checked my graduation cap for the twelfth time and lined up next to perfect strangers who happened to have the same last initial as yours truly. I felt a sense of anxiety—freedom and relief were instantly replaced with a palpable fear of the unknown.

Walking across the stage and seeing my friends and family clapping and whistling in grand fashion didn’t help, because the gathering meant to celebrate my four-year (okay, five-year—I worked nearly full-time throughout college) victory quickly turned to questions about what was next. That was about ten years ago.

I know those of you reading this understand what I went through. You’re probably going through something similar right now and I would venture to guess that when someone asks you about your plans after graduation, you want to find the nearest hole and dive right in.

Honestly, I can’t say I blame you. The transition period between college and whatever path you choose is difficult enough, but you’re graduating at this particular point in time. As I’m sure you’re aware, we are in a constant state of flux: the job market continues to flounder; none of us are sure what to do about global warming; political unrest has nearly become common place and we are bombarded with more information and options than we know what to do with. Not only that, jobs just aren't what they used to be.

Let’s talk about the word “job” for a moment.

Not long ago, a job was someplace you went to earn a paycheck. Much of the time you would work at one—maybe two—places throughout your entire career. That paradigm has shifted. More and more these days, jobs are taking different shapes. Some are stepping-stones to other opportunities; some simply pay the bills while you work to build your own company or client-base and others are short-term contracts. While some of these models may seem less secure than their counterparts from a few short generations ago, companies—the smart ones, anyway—are taking note of the rising tide of potential employees who are ready for a new way of doing business.

So, what now?

First of all, I’d like to ask you to breathe. You’ve worked hard and should be incredibly proud of yourself. Also, I’m here to let you know that it will all be okay. I know you can’t possibly say that to your parents without getting a sideways glance, but trust me: you’ll be fine. That said, there are choices to be made and questions that need to be answered. Should you go to graduate school? Is it worth the investment? How many jobs are out there waiting for your shiny new resume right now? Should you take a year off and travel the world? How will top companies even know you exist?

That’s where this Snippet comes in.

My hope is to offer salient advice for those of you, fresh out of literature classes and chemistry labs, who could use a little guidance as you head toward the future. Throughout the Snippet, you'll hear from Alexis Grant who has had both personal and professional experience with the trials and triumphs in store for you. She'll be answering questions I've collected from recent graduates from across the country.

Alexis is a writer and digital strategist whose work revolves around careers and the workplace. She also serves as managing editor for the Brazen Careerist's blog and is here to share her best advice with us.

I’ve also been chatting with a student named Bethany who is taking a significant next step after graduation by crowdfunding a summer program at NYU. She's got an interesting perspective on the challenges facing graduates right now and is taking matters into her own hands.

Interested in learning more about Bethany's crowdfunding efforts? See her GoFundMe page here and follow along on her post-graduate adventures over on Twitter.

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As you all know, navigating the world after receiving that prized diploma can be difficult. I'll be walking you all through the tough questions, answers and scenarios in this Snippet with the singular goal of shedding a little light on it all.

And before we go any further, I must tell you a bit of good news: none of us is alone in our experiences. We've all dealt with one or more of the issues discussed in these next chapters and knowing we've got back-up is a step in the right direction.

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So, who’s with me?

Okay, let’s get started...