If you've been reading this book with a steadily increasing heart rate, a mounting sense of panic, and more sweat on your palms than on the backs of the workers who built the pyramids, you are not alone. Maybe most of the jobs listed here are just not for you. Perhaps you don't think you can deal with putting on a suit or pantyhose every day, don't want to worry about promotions or corporate culture, and can't deal with the thought of nine to five, five days a week, fifty weeks a year. You're in the process of making a tough, unpopular, and, hopefully, rewarding choice.
The following are some ideas from people who chose not to get a "regular job." Whether you've always dreamed of writing the great American novel, of teaching the principals of sanitation or algebra to children in Somalia, or just aren't ready for the responsibility of adult life, there should be some help here for you. By the way, don't worry so much, you aren't the only person in the world who will still be eating Ramen noodles for dinner with a $100,000 education at the age of forty ? you'll just be the only one who chose to be doing so.

• Make a list. This sounds like something your mother would tell you to do, but in this case, she's right (she was right about eating pixie sticks for breakfast, too ? they don't help your concentration, after all). Make a list of all of the fabulous things you've ever wanted to do. Include everything from "swim with dolphins" to "be CEO of my own software company."
  
  
• Think about finances. After the high of making your wish list, this should bring you back down to earth. Do you have student loans? If so, how much, and how long do you have before you default? Is there any way that your parents, or another family member, can pick them up for a while, and then you can pay them back later?
  Health insurance is another big issue. If you've been covered either through your university, an employer, or your parents, you may be eligible for a program called COBRA. COBRA is an extension of your health care, which can last for as little as a month or as long as three years.

  Finally, in the finance sweepstakes, do a careful tally of how much money you have, how much you can make before graduation, and how much you have to make to do the various things on your wish list. Can you move home for a while, and if you do how much money will you be able to save?

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• Do your research. Believe it or not, your college career center doesn't only have information about consulting jobs. It should also have books on alternative options ? both ones that pay you and ones you pay for. Go on the Web to find out more about interesting programs. Or you could even look stuff up at the library (if, after four years of school, you still haven't visited this building, you are in trouble). This is the best place to learn about the federal programs such as the Peace Corps, or Teach America, as well as teaching English in other countries, or graduate school programs.
  
  
• Evaluate your skills. Are you really, really good at something? Are you a computer whiz, or an accomplished musician, or a great field hockey player? The world is full of gifted people in their twenties, giving lessons while waiting for their big break. Kids always need music lessons, tutoring, coaching.