A month past graduation some things start to come into focus that didn't before. The haze of well wishes, graduation presents, and excited talks of the future fade and you are left with a stark and sometimes harsh reality. In my case, this has come with an overwhelming realization that I have been falsely informed on how this whole transition into adulthood is supposed to go. There are certain things that, as college students, we expect to come with the achievement of graduation. These are things, that at least I believe, our professors and our advisors have told us to expect with a diploma and years of newfound knowledge and wisdom.
But here is the actual list of things to expect with graduation:
1. Your parents don't necessarily love that you're back.
The prodigal son or daughter returns after four years of hard work, you'd think your parents would be ecstatic, right? Maybe, wrong.
Your parents love you, and trust me they'll be happy to be finishing helping you through your degree, but they will also be ready to push you on to your new careers. Believe it or not, you parents did carry on life without you, and now that you're back, it isn't just you that is having to adjust.
They won't be kicking you out the door the day you get home, but give it a week before asking about jobs, becomes pestering about jobs, and then turns into deadlines for moving out and moving on.
We'll thank them in the end for the push, but it definitely is not something we were told would be coming our way just yet.
2. It may be awhile before you get a job.
Go to college, get a job. That seemed to be obvious while I was still in school. The hard part was the exams, and the all-nighters, but once that was over a would be rewarded with a shiny new corner office.
Obviously, I knew I would have to work my way up in a company, but what I didn't see coming was no job at all.
Most jobs now only accept applicants with at least 2 years of experience, and for someone who doesn't have that, graduating can leave them with few options. Get an internship ASAP.
3. Sometimes you have to settle.
Speaking about that dream job, most of the time you won't get it on the first round of finding a job. You may even go into a completely different field your first time getting a job. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just something to adapt to.
In college we all have this very specific idea of what our lives with look like in the coming years. Remember, the corner office I mentioned earlier? Once you're at home, and looking, you might just have to take what you can get.
This sounds depressing, but in reality, any experience is good experience. And, having a real job on your resume instead of just the job you picked up for alcohol money for the weekends is gonna make finding that next job much easier.
4. The money runs out
You start to feel the clock ticking, and then comes the realization that if don't find a job soon to supplement that stack of cash from graduation will soon become nothing, and then you'll be stuck.
Take a deep breath, but realize that the sooner that you find work to get more money, the more you can save. Take on that old part-time job, skip eating out, and really prioritize where your money is going.
College didn't exactly make us grade-A savers, so it's definitely something you want to adapt to quickly, or say hello to living with mom and dad for quite awhile.
5. Fun takes a break
College life is an anomaly. You go to class about 15 hours a week, maybe more if you can handle it, but other than that and a part-time job, the rest of your life is partying and having fun. You possess the most freedom that maybe you ever will until you retire.
This stage of becoming an adult, especially the first year, is a lot of hard work. And the ability to have fun and go places at the drop of the hat like you used to is not a luxury you will have.
I'm not saying the fun stops. You go to breweries with friends on the weekends, and late in the day rendezvous with friends. It is just something to adjust to, and at first it feels like you've lost some fun aspect of your life.
But, with change, comes adjustment.
What I do know though, is that with time we'll all make the leap to adults. It's like growing out your hair: the in-between length is always awkward and unnatural, but once you get to that perfect length you don't regret it for a second.
