3 Biggest Misconceptions About Life Post Graduation

On: 10:23 PM By: Unknown 0 comments

Photo Credits to Brian Moore https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctabu/

Part of maintaining a blog is consistency in posting, which I have clearly been lacking in. To be honest, with this being my last semester at school I have just been trying to enjoy every moment of the last few months and will continue to do so for the upcoming weeks. Not to mention life has thrown me some curve balls lately and I’m just trying to keep grounded. So for right now schoolwork needs to be my top priority…I have a degree to earn in May!

My last post was directed towards college seniors and life after graduation, but for my first post back I wanted to stick with that theme since it is so prevalent with what I'm currently experiencing. Basically, I'm going to share my feelings on what I feel are the biggest misconceptions I have heard about what happens after you are thrown out into the real world. I almost have found them to be unwritten expectations from society and everyone else sailing the farewell ship from the dock of higher education.

1. You need to know exactly what you’re going to do after you graduate and have a job lined up.

If you’re not going to graduate you probably believe this to be true. If you are fortunate to have a job lined up post-graduation, I am giving you a round of applause right now through the computer screen. That is a commendable accomplishment. If you have no clue what you want to do, the one thing you need to do is stop stressing. The first job you find or have after college does not have to be in a position/field that you plan to be in for the rest of your life. My mother always says she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. Keep an open mind, and you’ll get there. Especially since the job market right now is not at its peak, just do the best that you can. Actively seek jobs, and work hard to get your name out there. A job will come with time. And I can guarantee 1, 5, 10, 15 years from now there’s going to be a day you will wake up and feel overwhelmed with the excitement and warmth of realization. The realization of where you want to go with your life and how you want to get there.

2. You can kiss your social life goodbye.

Okay so now you might be working a 9-5 job, or maybe will even have a position that requires more than 40 hours a week. Are you going to be tired? Absolutely. Does this mean that you need to give up having an active social life? No. Life is all about balance. Just because you no longer have the freedom to do social activities all hours of the week when you don’t have homework, doesn’t mean that you’re incapable of having fun. Also, change your definition of a social life. Being social doesn’t have to mean going to the bars with your friends all night and getting home when the sun rises. When you’re in the workforce there are going to be weekends where you will need to revamp your juices, and will want to avoid waking up after a night out feeling like your head got danced on by a train. Instead, have friends over to your place. Go to a movie. Heck, go to a bar, but learn the word moderation. Your time off will be a luxury, and you’re going to want to spend it enjoyably rather than soaking in Gatorade and Ibuprofen.

3. You won’t have freedom anymore.

On the contrary my friend. Although you may be restricted financially, after college is the most freedom you will have had thus far in your life. Every single thing you do will depend solely on yourself. You can make whatever choices you want. Although not all of those choices are good choices, you still have the capability to make them. If you want to move to Bora Bora, live off of Doritos, wear a burlap sack, and introduce yourself as Ke$ha... technically no one can stop you. From 18 and on everyone is told to "act like an adult". Well, I know some 20 year olds who act in a better manner than 60 year olds I have known. To me the word adult is loosely defined. I don't think that there really is a specific age where someone is an adult, but rather a certain maturity level that they reach. With the freedom you will have in the future, you need to be mature. For four years of college freedom meant waking up late, eating caloric artery clogging dining hall food, staying out all night, and lying on the couch for hours watching a marathon of your favorite TV series. As I said with having a social life, shift your mindset. Invest into certain freedoms more than others so you can go on living responsibly, but also unrestrictively.