One year ago I walked across the graduation stage. Four years of endless hard work, memories, and experience, symbolized by a very expensive piece of paper.
In college, I felt like I had it all. I was a collegiate cheerleader with awards and scholarships that fill the page on my resume. I was the ultimate teacher’s pet but I worked relentlessly to be a student worth knowing. I was on my way to work full-time at a job that is exactly what I got my degree in.
Then I graduated and it all fell apart.
The girl who had it all crumbled after college.
Here are some harsh realities that the real world faced for me and a big heads up if you’re experiencing the same thing!
Making friends can be hard
Making friends in college is easy. You have your roomates, your friends from your extracurriculars, even the people you see walking around on campus. You’d probably even consider the Starbucks barista your friend too. Since I moved away, I suddenly felt it was hard to make new friendships. I even went on Bumble to find friends! (Sorry Katie for accidently ghosting you). You just need to put more effort into it. If you have coworkers around your age, go out there and make an effort to hangout! Although making friends in your new place can be difficult, don’t forget about the friends you already have and make sure you give them a call.
Adjusting
I had a very difficult time adjusting. I was in a new place, right out of college and doing a job that I was thrown into. The change was difficult to handle and I could feel myself lose my sense of self. I felt so important in college and then in the workplace I felt out of place and “new”. Which everyone has been there before but it was hard for me to experience it.
Don’t worry, it will take time to get adjusted and that was something I had to come to grips with.
Loneliness
When were you ever truly alone in college? I felt like I was always surrounded by people. Then I moved to a strange place all alone. When I got off work and came to my apartment, I realized that my thoughts and I we’re not the best roommates. A lot of people love living alone. For me? Not so much. A fellow coworker ended up becoming my roommate and she’s a lot better to talk to rather than the wall.
A cat won’t fix your problems
Now, piggy backing off loneliness, I thought getting a cat would be the perfect companion. Now I have a cat named Kylo but let’s be honest, he’s kind of a bastard. Don’t get me wrong, I love him but I wish I would’ve thought a little bit longer about committing 15-20 years of my life with a cat who would rather eat my ankles than his food. Hey, at least he’s cute.
Money
Broke in college and broke out of college. Not much has changed here, I have just had to face how to pay all of the bills.
Who needs to eat when all of the shirts at TJ Maxx are only $12.99.
People will forget you
Hey all-star, you had a good run in college. However, your time is up and you have to learn to be a rock star with real professionals and not students who were forced to get a degree because their parents said so. There wasn’t much competition anyways! Now kick it in gear, you’ve got some butt to kick. As in yours, so get to work.
College was a blast but I can honestly say I don’t miss it. Crazy, right? I feel like now I can actually get my life started. It might be hard to adjust right out of college and for me it was tough. Looking back on this past year I have grown so much as a person than when I was in college for four years.
So hang in there, you can do this.
Congratulations Grad, the road might suck but it will get better. I promise.