We've been naive, my fellow newly working millennials. “Adulting” is not what it seemed like in the movies. As we watched beautiful humans portray what we thought was the real world, we've suddenly discovered the harsh realization that not all of us will be Elle Woods who effortlessly got into Harvard and loves being a lawyer as much as she loves the color pink. Instead, we are finding out that it's a lot more work than we imagined.
Why didn’t anyone tell us that reality will hit us harder than Muhammad Ali hits an opponent? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee my ass.
Why didn’t our professors teach us that the real world is waiting for us with big, burly arms ready to pull us into an eight hour work day that has replaced what used to be our eight hours of sleep? But hey, thanks for teaching us how to solve for x to get y; it's been so helpful when we are trying to file our taxes and fill out our W-2 forms.
Finally, why is becoming an adult not as exciting as we thought it was when we were a kid? As we used to day-dream of running away to a fantasy world like New York City, now student loan debt and striving for the perfect resume have crippled our imaginative, hopeful perspectives.
People say that's just what happens as we get older. As we gain responsibility and freedom to make our own decisions, we also lose some of our innocence and our sense of youthful enthusiasm. I guess that is just another harsh realization.
As our comprehension of the real world dawns on us, it's important to enjoy college for what it is now. Appreciate the late nights that turn into mornings with friends that turn into family. Revel in watery beer and cheap liquor that only college students can get away with drinking. Love every moment of college, because pretty soon the best four years of your life will have come and gone in a blink of an eye. And especially enjoy skipping those 8 a.m.'s as the 9 to 5 work days are just around the corner.
With all that being said, don't be afraid to be an adult. It may be more complicating as well as more intimidating than what we are used to, but this chapter of your life can and will be just as fun as the last if you want it to be. Sure, your lifestyle will change, you'll shower more often, and you'll start drinking vodka that tastes less like nail polish remover, but there is also so much more in store for you in the real world.
Life is what you make it (cue in Hannah Montana), so enjoy the now, but also get excited for what's to come. Besides, working 9 to 5 means you'll be racking in some extra cash, and that's never a bad thing.
