Full discloser: I grew up in a small town outside of Athens, Ga. I packed up what could fit in my Nissan Altima and anxiously moved four hours away from home, to good olé' Statesboro, to attend the best college - Georgia Southern, of course. Home of the thick southern accents, country music, big trucks, beer and football and let’s not forget about that good ole southern education. I loved college, I loved the feeling of being on my own, the freedom, the opportunity to meet new people so easily, and learning. I have always fostered a love for learning – that being said, my four years at Georgia Southern flew by.

I was walking across the stage (trying not to trip) to receive my four-year diploma that I worked so hard for, but then what? What was next? I was so focused on finishing college and yeah, the thought of what I was going to do after college was there, but it wasn’t real. Until I got a real job. Here are a few things I have learned since I have graduated that making adulting a true struggle:

I must have put out hundreds of applications to so many places, hundreds! Companies do not want to hire a fresh out of college kid without any experience...lesson learned on that one. I didn’t have much experience that related to my major (which is criminal justice), the experience working at Chick-fil-an only goes so far people – so make sure to do an internship or something related to your major. After about 2 months of steady applying to anything I was qualified for, I got about five to seven interviews. Out of those, I got one job offer–just one! So, I gratefully accepted and here my journey starts as an “adult.”

Let me just start by saying, the first week I actually worked an 8 am–5 pm job, I came home EVERYDAY and I was so exhausted! Hey college kids, no more naps for you when you graduate! It was so hard for me to adjust to a normal 8-5 because, hello – classes were at all different times of they and in between, you just do whatever. Working part-time is not the same as full 40 + hours, so I don’t want to hear that. All I remember about my first week was that I came home, ate some food and went to bed. Struggling big time for the first week, but you’ll adjust. And coffee is a wonderful essential.

Be prepared when you start looking for places to live outside of your college town. Guess what? You have to pay for water, electric, cable, the internet, and rent… most of the time in college towns, the apartments will offer those all-inclusive deals – in real life that’s a hard NO. Oh, and you’ll need to get furniture and a washer and dryer… I learned that bills are a real thing… you can’t just keep taking out loans – and a bill comes once a month, not once a semester. Shocking, right?

Hey, you know those loans you took out like all the time in college? You know you must pay those back right…? Six months after you graduate you’ll start getting calls and mail about paying for your student loans. You're looking at a few hundred dollars a month for your loans… don’t buy into the different loan companies that will call you and want to help consolidate your loans – the government will help consolidate for free! Don’t panic – you can always put your student loans in deferment until you’re at a better place to start paying on them. What a struggle to just get out of college, to only be reminded you owe thousands of dollars that you need to start working on like asap…

When your graduate and find a job, so do your friends. Your friends start making their own lives for themselves. Both of my closest friends moved to Virginia and Pennsylvania…for me, I was taking on my life with a brand new full-time job and then…my friends move away to start their lives as adults. This one was probably one of hardest things for me to adjust to…I was suddenly alone. In college, are you really ever alone? Between roommates, friends in your classes, people you share a common interest with, you’re never really alone. Adulting forces you to get out of your comfort zone and try to meet new people, when you’re ready. And let me tell you, it’s hard to meet friends who are already established in life. College is a melting pot of kids trying to find a place to fit in. Luckily, there is a bar like a mile from my house that I go to often – it’s easy to make friends in a place your comfortable. This also brings me to my next point, get to know your coworkers at work – don’t just work and go home. Find a balance, invite your coworkers out and go get dinner and a drink, it’ll make work more bearable!

Managing your money is a struggle…remember usually you’re going to get paid once a month or every two weeks. Your paycheck is probably going to be more than you’ve seen in college, but remember bills are a reoccurring thing. Don’t go crazy with your first paycheck, I know you’ll want to–trust me...I blew my first paycheck on frivolous things – don’t do it! It’s always a good idea to put some money in your savings each paycheck, in case your car brakes go out, you need a new tire or you just need some extra cash for whatever reason–you're prepared (See, that was some adult-ly advice, right?). Trust me, everything doesn’t go smooth sailing – shit happens.

Buying a coffee table from Walmart, that is small, to say the least (literary worth the 25 bucks) – and having to use it to eat off, because your apartment isn’t big enough for a dining table is just scratching the surface to struggling in adulthood. Oh, just because you have a job, doesn’t mean you’re going to stop buying Roman noodles – just be prepared.

Don’t let your new job consume you! What I’m trying to say is…if you enjoy something don’t stop the things you enjoy! You can still go out and have fun! I got a dog – he’s been a great addition to my life as an adult. Do things that you enjoy that allow you to be happy because struggling can get you down at times – and that is perfectly normal. Like I said, I had a hard time adjusting to a new life, but you can’t lose sight of who you are and the things that make you, you.

At this point, your adjusting to living as an adult, everything you have worked so hard for, the homework, the test, the midterms, the projects, the parties, the heartbreaks, the fun times, the hard times, all lead you to this point . . . It can be so overwhelming, for me it was hard to welcome change. Some people deal with change with such ease and grace, not me. I greet change by kicking and screaming. Not to mention figuring out how to transition to adulting, but on top of the added stress of figuring out the ins and outs of your new job – it can get brutal. Struggling is how you learn about yourself and grow as a person. Looking around and knowing that you can make it in this crazy world, it’s a good feeling.

I was relatively naïve to what life after college would be like, but who cares – it makes a great conversation piece. I graduated in May of 2016, and I have been at my job with the state for just shy a year. This is my little antidote as a new graduate, just know that you won’t have to struggle forever.

Struggling is part of your story, no one said that life was easy. Struggle on, that what your 20’s is there for.