If youâre graduating college this spring, Iâd like to start by sending you huge congrats! Letâs propose a digital toast to you and all of the times you drowned yourself in espresso to survive those long nights of stuDYING. Itâs almost your time and you just canât wait to be done. I was there once, so I know about every anxious bone in your body. I also know there are some things about post-grad life that I wish someone would have kept it totally real with me about before moving the tassel to the other side.
So that you donât have experience the mental catastrophe that I did, Iâve decided to give you the 411, inside scoop on premature adulting â life after college.
Youâll have a lot more free time
With the absence of final exams, 20-page papers and extra club meetings and activities after class, your planner suddenly reads: OPEN AVAILABILITY. With this free time, itâs natural, especially if youâre an introvert, to want to hibernate until your life has some sort of value again. But sitting in the house all day thinking about this sudden transition period isnât going to help. (That actually results in multiple meltdowns.) Instead, find something to take your mind off of your newly-found free time, whether that’s reconnecting with old friends, honing a new skill, or branching out of your comfort zone to network. Donât let time just pass you by while you binge-watch shows on Netflix and Hulu all day.
Finding a job is a job
If youâve already got a job or some kind of plan lined up after school, congrats! Youâre awesome. But for those of you who are still waiting to get that call back from companies you applied to weeks or months ago, donât wait up. And I donât mean that to sound negative or harsh. Itâs just real, and itâs okay! A lot of post-grads struggle to find their first career after college. Finding an entry-level position can be hard, especially when a majority of them seek a candidate with at least 3-5 years of experience. It’s pretty tough to face the reality of this rejection when youâve spent the last 3-5 years of your life preparing for this exact moment. My advice: Donât be afraid to talk to people regarding your job search, keep applying (someone will say ‘yes’ eventually), consider post-grad internships and/or freelance work, and keep doing things to stay polished on what you learned in school.
Moving back home will be a major adjustment
Youâve been away for 4+ years now. So, if youâre moving back home with your parents, good luck. All of a sudden, the freedom of doing whatever you want, whenever you want will be limited or gone. Youâll be back in your high-school bedroom, hoping your mom doesnât burst in while youâre on the phone, reminding you to clean. But compromising your freedom for a while can come with some pretty cool benefits. If your parents are gracious enough, youâll get to sleep somewhere rent-free for a while. So, be smart and save some money! This will also give you and your family a chance to spend some quality time together before going off to adult. As much as they nag you, they will definitely miss you when you leave. Neither you nor your parents will be here forever. Embrace the moment!
It doesnât get better, but you do
Youâre going to go through a lot mentally. Youâre going to wonder what you should have done differently. Youâre going to wonder how different things are going to be in the future. Youâre going to beat yourself up about mistakes youâve made. Youâre going to ask yourself a lot of questions about who you are and what you want out of life. Youâre just going to thinkâŠall the time. Stuff is going to happen that youâre going to have to deal with because you donât have homework, class or meetings as an excuse to put off your emotions anymore, and unfortunately, it doesnât get any better. You get better. You start to deal with things like an adult. At first, youâll throw temper tantrums like a 2-year-old because life isnât anything like you expected it to be. Then, youâll start to realize life isnât what happens to you, itâs how you react to it. Thus, when you switch your perspective into a positive mode, you begin to experience the positivity of life. And that, my friend, makes room for growth and happiness. Â
Accept your personal journey
With social media and the pressure of society, itâs going to get really hard to accept where you are in your life without comparing it to where others are. As a PR/Media Specialist grad, let me tell you guys something about social media. The goal is to post the good, happy parts of life and sweep everything else under the rug. So, donât let the idea of digital happiness and success allow you to think others arenât experiencing moments of sadness and failures as well. The acceptance comes from knowing where you are is exactly where youâre supposed to be, despite what the rest of the world is doing. If you believe thereâs a plan for your life, youâve asked God, the universe, or whatever you believe in to help you get there, then donât stress. Donât try to control what you canât. Instead, control what you can and flow in the direction of the current. Youâll get there when itâs time.
Donât lose sight of your dream
Itâs going to get pretty easy to sacrifice your dream for something that gets the bills and student loans paid monthly. Iâm not saying everyone should quit his or her job and fly across the country to pursue whatever, but remember why you started college and know itâs not going to happen overnight for everyone. Even if youâre going to be working somewhere that doesnât necessarily fuel or spark the passion inside of you, do things that will in your spare time. Just because you donât have your dream job yet doesnât mean you have to stop working toward your dream. With all the free time youâll have, spend at least an hour every day actually learning about what you want to do, doing what you want to do, or talking to people who do what you want to do. Donât get comfortable with the security of just having your bills paid and become miserable. Do something that actually contributes to your dream, even if it means sacrificing or putting in the work after work. Â
But what do I know? Iâm just a post-grad with big dreams and a pen. Perhaps your life will be absolutely perfect after college, and this post does nothing for you. Maybe you wonât have to experience any of these things, but for those who find themselves able to relate, my final piece of advice when the thrill of graduating is gone and youâre staring adulthood right in the face is to stop and breathe. Everything will be fine if you keep breathing. Â Remember, breath equates to life. Peace and love to you and your journey.
Writing for the love of culture, all things true, and whatever her soul clings to. Day is a young, black Mississippian trying to connect us all through the creativity of storytelling. Follow her on Instagram @sayheyday to receive updates on her upcoming website.Â