When you are young, all you want to do is grow up, call your own shots, be your own boss. You want to drive a car, have a job, your own money, and your own house. I wish I could go back to tell my younger self to slow down and enjoy being a kid because as you do grow up, you learn that being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The magic that surrounds being a grown-up loses its luster, and sooner or later you understand what being an adult really means.
Entering the real world wasn’t too rough on me personally, but it also wasn’t easy leaving the comfort and safety of the classroom environment in which I thrived for sixteen years. I spent my time between graduation and the following November, when my loan payments started coming in, desperately searching for a job that would cover those loan expenses. At first I was picky, choosing to only look at the jobs offering full time positions within my chosen career field. Unfortunately, those jobs required moving to a large city like Los Angeles or New York–something I had not really wanted to do.
So, I lowered my standards. I looked into local companies, part-time positions–I even considered taking on multiple part-time positions to cover my living expenses. After months of repeated disappointment in the job market (through either limited offerings or rejections) and the end of my loan grace period approaching quickly, I lowered my standards once more. Finally, I was hired at Wal-Mart. Of all the places for a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree to end up, it was with a job I could have done four years ago with a high school diploma.
Regardless of my disappointments, I have not given up. This job is just a stepping-stone between graduation and the rest of my life. So, I would like to pass on the things I’ve learned about myself, the “college experience”, and how to survive post-graduation.
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First, I sincerely wish someone had tried to get me to pay attention to the economy and the world around me. Things changed drastically in the economy between my high school graduation and the end of my first year of college. The job market became non-existent. There are days when I wish I had paid more attention to the state of our country and made my decision of major based not only on my interests but also on how I would be able to live the life I planned afterwards. I would have sacrificed being completely and utterly in love with my job for an enjoyable job and comfortably living in the life I wanted. Other people, I’m sure, feel differently; but if you’re like me, you’ll appreciate this bit of advice more than anything.
Second of all, be prepared for the possibility that you will have to go back to how you survived and lived your life before college. I lived at home with my mother working a minimum wage job and that’s exactly where I currently am again. Some people I graduated with have done otherwise, but they’ve also put a lot of work into getting there and have sacrificed many things as well. I’m happy enough to backtrack and save up any extra money. I’m hitting the pause button for a bit so to speak, but in no means have I given up on my dreams. And you shouldn’t either.
Third and most important, don’t bury yourself so far in being a perfect student and getting straight “A”s. Enjoy college to its fullest. It’s the only time in your life where you’re considered an adult but lack many of the “adult” responsibilities. I’m not saying go crazy and party every night–no, I’m only trying to say enjoy the little things. My most treasured memories of college are the quiet nights in my dorm room with my roommate, group lunches, and summer camping trips with my friends–all of them, memories of my social experiences, not so much my academic achievements.
I’m still only just figuring out how to navigate the deep waters of adulthood, but it does become easier. I’m learning and planning everyday and soon, I’m going to be right where I want to be. It just took a little longer than expected. In the words of Douglas Adams, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
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