College makes a lot of promises about post-grad life. It promises a diploma is a guaranteed ticket to a job and career we’re passionate about. It promises that that career will bring ultimate fulfillment and happiness. It promises loads of free time to pursue our hobbies and interests. I have found these promises to be partly (if not entirely) false. Here are four key truths about post-grad life that will help you let go of those expectations.

Passion isn’t everything

There is this unspoken rule that everyone must find their "passion" - one particular (prestigious) occupation - and pursue it as a career. If you have a passion, good for you. But if you don't, don't sweat it. Many students and graduates experience stress, shame, and insecurity because they feel they don't have a passion or one dream career path. That isn't necessarily true. I have discovered that while I may not have one true passion, I do have a variety of things I am passionate about. It is possible that many of us have a hard time defining our passion because we feel we must sacrifice six or seven other interests for the sake of pursuing just one. RELAX. It’s okay to not be tied-down to just one path.

You will have more free time...

One of the best parts of post-grad life is coming home from work and not having to stay up until 2 am doing homework! Having evening and weekend hours to spend as you please is great, however, it can be more challenging than you expect. At first, I took full advantage of the opportunity and discovered I had overbooked myself. Activities that were supposed to be fun became stressful commitments. I also accidentally over-committed myself financially, resulting in more stress and a tight wallet. It is important to be honest with yourself about your boundaries so you don’t end up running yourself ragged doing things you love.

... but the lack of time will surprise you

Remember those long Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring breaks? They don’t exist anymore. This may not sound that surprising, but after 16+ years of living by a school calendar it is hard to break that cycle. While I had expected to lose my summer break, only getting an extra 26 hours off for Christmas rather than 2 or 3 weeks was kind of a shock. You have to learn to make the most of the small amounts of downtime to recover from one day of work and prepare you for the next.

You will question the meaning of life

Eventually the big question will hit you. It will most likely come after you’ve settled into the routine of your job, expenses, and activities. You will seriously look at your life and ask, is this really all there is? There is a great meme floating around the internet that says “You were born to do more than got to work, pay bills and die." You will frequently feel like that is all you are doing. When this happens, it is important to set-aside adequate time to take care of your mental health. That could mean giving yourself time to journal through your thoughts and feelings, meet with a counselor, maintain your physical health, pursue your spiritual life, or a combination of these things. It is important to establish a routine that helps you handle stress in a healthy way, validate and manage your emotions, and takes care of your inner thought life.

Post-grad life is not the happily-ever-after ending college promised me. But it is a process of learning about myself and my boundaries that I am learning to appreciate and enjoy.