Dear post-grad self,
Senior year of college. It’s what you have dreamed about since the day you arrived freshman year. Congrats, you finally made it. In just a few short months you will walk across that stage and then venture into the “real world” of adulthood. You picture yourself going on adventures and living in the Upper East Side In Manhattan or sitting in your leather chair at your new office.
Flash forward to a few months after graduation. The adult life is not exactly all what you thought it would be. You work just outside of the city, not in it. And that office you once dreamed of, well you are sharing it with four other people. You have a job but are making just enough salary to swing by. You have even thought about picking up a waitress job on the weekends so you can have some extra spending cash.
Some reoccurring thoughts have gone through your head. “Did I pick the right career path? Should I go back and get my master’s? Law school?”
Suddenly you are flashing back to your childhood when all you wished was to be older. You dreamed of things such as your graduation and your 21st birthday. Now, you reminisce on those thoughts and wish you could go back to being a kid. You wish you didn’t have a phone bill. You wish you didn’t have to worry about going over your data each month. You miss when your mom used to do your laundry and made sure you had healthy home-cooked meal each night. You lay awake at night and miss staring at the ceiling of you room back home. You think, “is this what life is going to be like from now on?”
It’s not. Well the world of adulthood may seem grueling in the beginning and you may feel like your boss doesn’t even know your name, keep pushing through. It’s rare for any newly graduated college student to make a six-figure salary. In fact don’t even worry about making money right now. Make sure you are doing something you are passionate about and that you don’t mind waking up early everyday to do.
In fact, your 20s should be the time when you take chances and when you have the freedom in your life to do something you may not be able to when you have kids and a family. Look for jobs somewhere out of your comfort zone, maybe New York City, San Francisco or Chicago. Be willing to travel. Be independent. Be confident. Stay late at the office. Make your boss notice you. And before you know it (not right away but someday in your future), you will be able to check off your bucket list that you did something you were passionate about.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Dr. Seuss that always brings me a sense of peace when the world may seem unkind.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction in choose.”
With love,
Your future graduated self
