College can be a wonderful thing for many people. It provides an education that is concentrated on a particular field. It provides opportunities to travel, participate in clubs and performing arts. It forces you to learn to manage your time. It provides friendships and growth. It does many things well. However, there are some things a college education just does not prepare you for.
No matter what colleges try to say, one thing they fail at is truly preparing students for the post-graduation, real-world. I know, because, even though I am still a student, I am married, my husband has been out of college for almost two years, and I am a mom. I have lived a weird mixture of college-life and actual adult life for the past year, and there is a major difference between the two lives.
If you are near graduation, congratulations! I am not trying to scare you. Graduation is something to be excited about, but, life in the non-college world is not always what college-students believe it is. For that reason, I have created a list of some things to be aware of that might be different post-graduation. If you realize these things now, and learn to accept them and prepare for them, it might make the transition from college into career and adult life go more smoothly.
1. You are going to fail.
Often, everything is still sugar-coated in college. Students are used to holding leadership positions, receiving awards, and getting easy A's (well, sometimes). Life isn't about awards and everyone will fail sometimes. Failure isn't the end and our failures can be the best teachers. Begin learning now how to work through failure, accept it, grow from it, and move on. Everyone experiences it, but there is still hope.
2. It is unlikely that you will immediately get a perfect job within your field.
The job market sucks. We have experienced this as my husband has been searching for jobs in his field ever since his graduation. Just because you have a degree it does not mean you will immediately get the job you want. Good jobs can be hard to come by. Jobs in a specific field can be almost impossible to get into. It will be frustrating, but just remember that it will not always be this way. Keep your head up. Keep putting out those applications and resumes. Don't be embarrassed to work a basic and boring job to get by for awhile. If you put in the effort, you will eventually find your niche and be able to get into a job you truly enjoy.
3. Budgeting is so, so important.
Hopefully you already know this, but if you haven't learned how to budget, pay attention. After college, when you are out on your own, expenses are only going to increase as you take on more responsibility. Learn to budget now, so that when you have more expenses, you are prepared to handle them wisely, without getting into financial trouble.
4. Manage your time.
Hopefully this is something you have learned in college already, but if not, start doing it! Get a planner, use your phone or computer, do whatever is necessary to create a schedule and get things done.
5. Be flexible.
Life is full of variables. Plans change. Sometimes the change is negative, but sometimes, even if you do not see it at first, it turns out to be positive. Prepare for things to not always go as planned and look for the good and the joy no matter what happens.
Graduating from college is a whole new adventure! The world of adulthood is exciting and new, and if you plan now, you will hopefully be less frustrated later. Set goals, work hard, learn from your failures and be okay with change. You may not end up where you thought you would, but I promise that wherever you end up, it can still be good.
