Life after graduating college can
feel uncertain. I’ve lived it and I’m
still working through it and feel obliged to warn and inform soon to be
college graduates about what life after college can be like, and openly share some
of my experiences. The experiences can best be described in stages.
Stage
One:
Emotional Meltdown. Please allow yourself to go through this fully and if you
can, stay away from all social media during this time. Times of transition can
have all kinds of emotions and expressing those emotions through status updates
isn’t a good idea. You’ll be excited about finishing college, but you’re about
to enter into another level of the real world that will be filled with plenty
of twists, turns, disappointments and surprises. Taking the time to focus on yourself is critical.
Stage
Two:
The Question. Constantly hearing, “What
are you going to do with your degree?” Know that it’s okay to not know and
that you’ll figure it out soon enough.
Stage
Three:
Downtime. A lot of downtime. While
looking for a real grown up job, you’ll have a lot of time on your hands which
means a lot of daytime TV. I highly recommend The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Those reruns served me well. And of
course this time should be used looking for full-time employment – ideally, you
should be looking for a job before graduating.
Stage
Four:
Job Offers. You’ll likely get offers and calls for a number of jobs that you’re
overqualified for, and especially offers for things not in your field of study.
If you’re pressed and have to take a job to pay bills in the meantime, do that
until the opportunities you're seeking out become available. Often, the job you
want isn’t the one you need fresh out of college. If the opportunities you desire are meant for you, they'll still be available when you’re ready for them.
Stage
Five:
Embrace change. Your friendships are going to change and a number of them will
be non-existent. Truth? The hundreds and hundreds of social media “friends” you have are not your real friends. You’re blessed
if you have about two people you can call your true friends. A lot of the people you meet before college, during,
and after will not remain close. Inevitably, life will pull everyone in
different directions and everything will change. Embrace this change.
Life after college can be a challenging transition, but
you’ll make it if you're determined to better yourself. This world can be tough,
but so are you. Get ready. You got this!