“Congratulations! You made it! You’ve reached adulthood -- welcome to the real world. We hope you like it here. It’s a lot different than the world you grew up in as a kid…”
Words like these raced through my mind about a year ago as I packed up all my things and went to move in for my first year of college. It was an experience I didn’t know if I was ready for. How was I supposed to fend completely for myself?
Now, having survived my freshman year, I know what it takes to make it in the world of college. Being completely reliant on myself was not easy, and I still have a lot of mixed feelings about it all. I do like the independence of it, but, in some ways, being an adult is overrated. So, here are some reasons why “adulting” isn’t all it’s hyped up to be, explained by one of the most clueless, incompetent, amazing TV characters ever, Michael Scott!
1. You have to wake up at ungodly hours of the morning.
Sure, you had to get up early for high school, too. But you never really know the pain of it all until you have to drag yourself out of bed for an 8:00 a.m. class.
2. You have to start paying for a lot of things yourself.
Either that, or you starve. It’s a harsh world.
3. You have to get a job, and eventually a career.
It’s not all fun and games anymore. How else are you going to get that money?
4. But since you’re on a low budget right now, there’s not much money for activities.
You and your friends will just have to find other (weird) ways of having fun.
5. Some days, you will have no motivation to do even the simplest things.
But that doesn’t mean the responsibilities stop coming! Work now, play later. It’s hard to follow, but definitely worth it.
6. When something unexpected comes, you’re on your own.
Hopefully that “something unexpected” isn’t hitting someone with your car.
7. You’ll meet some people with different opinions who will drive you completely insane.
You just can’t understand some people. It’s a crazy world out there.
8. And you’ll also meet some people that will make you feel very, very stupid.
"These people have their lives together ... am I really this bad at adulting?"
9. You'll have to learn to make things up as you go.
You just hope you find it along the way. You're not an expert on everything, but you sure can fake it.
10. You will make mistakes, and have to fix them yourself.
All you can do is learn from it and move on.
11. You'll be screaming internally (and externally) a lot of the time.
Control yourself. Breath. It will be okay.
12. Sometimes, you’ll want to give up.
There’s just so much to do and so little time. Eventually, you’ll figure out how to get it all under control, don't worry.
13. So just remember...
If Michael can make it, so can you.
