I have learned a lot in the year since I graduated.

I was naive at first - thinking I was going to land this fabulous job straight out of college and was going to meet every major milestone of my five-year-plan.

But in the 12 months since I left college, I've learned more about life as an adult than I ever thought I would - expectations, disappointments, ecstatic wins, and underwhelming realities. Whether you know where you want to end up a year from now or you're still figuring out your path, these are the 10 things I've learned since graduating college:

1. Life after graduation is not as glamorous as you thought it would be

Maybe you aren't as naive as I was, but I definitely believed that all the work I did in college was going to lead to a great and glamorous job after graduation. I was sure that by this time this year, I would be negotiating a raise and searching for my next, even better downtown apartment...

Yes, I was terribly wrong. But, what I've learned is that no matter what may appear to be going on in the lives of your friends, (via social media or elaborate storytelling), always remember that nearly everyone is in the same position as you. On average, it takes graduates 2-7 years to find a job in their field after they graduate. So have no fear, my fellow Baccalaureate.

2. It's ok if you don't know exactly what you want to do or where you want to end up

Don't fret, my friends, none of us know what we want either. Is it a great job? Travel? A family? All of the above in 10 years?

Regardless of your goals, remember that every step that you take from the moment you move your tassel is getting you to exactly where you are supposed to go.

3. Because –believe it or not– not everyone has a 5-year plan

Rachel Green said it best," Everyone I know is getting married, or getting pregnant, or getting promoted. And I'm getting coffee. And it's not even for me!"

I know it feels like most of your friends and your graduating class had an idea of where they were gonna end up, how they were gonna get there, or what they were gonna do after they got where they were going, but I'll bet you most of them had an outline of a 5-year-plan.

You can really only control the major bullet points in your life, the details will fell in themselves.

4. And most people don't know what they're doing

I know it seems like everyone has this whole life thing figured out, but they don't.

I REPEAT: NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

5. You're going try a lot of new and different things

This one of the best times in your life to try new things. Always wanted to go to Europe? Move across the country? Spend a year working with the Peace Corps?

You've got obligations to no one and to nothing but yourself and you have no excuses. Take these few precious years to go do the things you always wanted to do. You'll learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses as well as yourself as a person - don't miss out on giving your dreams a shot.

6. And you're going to work in a lot of different jobs

Do you work 30 hours a week waiting hand-and-foot on ungrateful guests? Spend your weekends unfolding and refolding women's jeans at American Eagle? Are you exhausting yourself at that pre-med internship?

Good.

These are the years that are supposed to test you. You'll never be more determined or more driven than you are now. Every interview that you take and every mundane job that you go to develops invaluable skills that you can apply later in life.

7. You're going to feel lost most of the time

Whether it's paying bills, going on interviews, or deciding between a trip to Vegas or a trip home for Thanksgiving, you're gonna feel as if no decision that you make is the right one.

Regardless, make a decision. It's always better to move in a direction than remain stuck in limbo. You'll probably always wonder if the choice that you made was the right one, but eventually, you look back and know that you chose a path for yourself.

8. But eventually you're going to figure it out

Even if you don't have it all figured out, you'll eventually figure it out.

You'll come to learn that life is a long, steep, winding marathon that is meant to be taken one step at a time. Don't be too cavalier with what you want; you know who you are and you're gonna find you're path one way or the other, goddammit.

9. You're going to meet a lot of people that you love, and a lot of people that you don't

Some people say that college is where you find the people you're meant to spend the rest your life with. I believe that the people you're meant to spend the rest of your life with are the ones grabbing late night happy hour after a 13-hour shift. They're the ones waiting up until 1 am to come over and talk when you've been killing yourself at an 80-a-week internship.

You'll also meet people that you can't stand and these will also be the people that you have to interact with every day. They are the true MVPs. They are the ones that teach you how to be cordial in the face of an absolute jackassery and the ones who give you a thicker skin.

10. And you're going to have the time of your life

Enjoy these years.

You're young and you're adventurous and this is the time to do all the things you've always wanted to do. Take that trip to Europe; move to a new city; get a tattoo; have that one-night-stand; live with 7 people in a house downtown. It's your life and you're the captain of your own destiny.

And hey, maybe you're apart of that group that doesn't have kids yet. That's something to celebrate, right?