If any of you recent grads out there were like me this time last year then you probably are A) freaking out about what you'll do in the Fall or B) wondering if your new career/education/life choice is the right one for you. You're finally having that realization that this isn't just a regular summer break, you've graduated and won't be going back to life as usual come September.
Life after college can be a very emotional time where you're unsure of who you are and what you want. Navigating these murky waters can be equal parts exciting, confusing, and frustrating. I'm sure many of you had an idea in your head of what life after college would be, whether good or bad, and I'm sure many more of you have been surprised at how different it can be from your expectations.
There are many stereotypes that are perpetuated about life after college and after hearing all these myths myself in
my first year after college I'm here to debunk some of the most common from my personal experience.
*[Please remember that these are my personal experiences and they are not a cookie-cutter for all college graduates, we all have different experiences with our lives after college. I would love to hear about your own experiences in the comments section!]
You'll Have Your Life Completely Sorted Out and Know Exactly What You're Meant to Do
One myth that I definitely felt forced on me was this one, and particularly by those of my parents' generation. It was always the same
dreaded question: "So what are you going to do in the Fall?". AH! I just wanted to scream that I didn't know yet. This feeling that once you graduate you should have everything planned is very stressful for many new graduates who really feel the pressure to have their life sorted out.
Maybe our parents' generation was that way. Maybe they were able to leave school and come out with a job, but it's not so simple now. But more and more people are going to college and an undergraduate degree may not be enough to set you apart from the sea of all the other job seekers. We feel a lot of pressure to leave school knowing what we want to do and having opportunities lined up.
When I graduated I had only been hired for one district as a substitute teacher. It wasn't until the end of August/beginning of September that I was offered the after-school position and hired at two other districts; incredibly last minutes!
The reality is that we are young adults, we are humans, and we are not fixed. Who we are changes, what we want changes. Most of us leave college still very unsure about who we are as people and what we want to do with our lives. If you are unsure about what you'll do in the Fall or what you've chosen to do in the Fall, don't let it get to you. We are young and being unsure is the norm. It's perfectly okay to not be 100% about your future, that's what this time of your life is about. It's about trying different things, experimenting, and finding out who you are and what you want out of life. Embrace it and
learn to love your life after college!
You'll Quickly Find a Well Paying Job in Your Field, That's What a Degree is For Right?
Some of you may have been lucky and have found a great paying job in your career, but for the rest of us it's probably not so easy. I remember when I first graduated last May knowing that my state had a bad job market for elementary school teachers, but it couldn't be
that bad...right? Um, wrong. I started applying to teaching jobs confident in my abilities, I
had won awards for my student teaching and worked in classrooms for years, but it wasn't enough.
I got e-mails saying that over 400 people had applied to nearly each position where I had submitted an application. Needless to say I didn't get my dream job my first year after college, in fact I didn't get any full-time job. Instead I took multiple part-time jobs that were in my career. They may have not been what I
wanted, but they gave me the invaluable real-world career experience that I
needed. I didn't get rich quick, but thanks to being a smart spender and having
a budget in place I have saved enough for moving to Spain with the
Auxiliares de Conversación program this Fall. The point is, you probably won't get your dream job right away, but you can still find something in your career and if you're a smart saver can still make plenty of money.
You'll Be Stuck in a Terrible Job That You'll Hate
On the other hand of the previous extreme is that you'll have a terrible job that you'll hate. Chances are you won't have a nightmarish job, and if by some cruel turn of fate you do, remember that this first post-graduate job is not the position you'll have for the remainder of your life! Even in the current job market there are other, jobs out there if you land one you can't stand. Maybe you need to expand your job criteria, think outside the box about how you can apply your skills or if need be, relocate to a different area. Teaching jobs in Rhode Island are scarce and I've looked into my options for getting my teaching certificate in other states as a possibility.
So yes, I didn't get my dream job, and yes, I didn't make tens of thousands, but I don't hate my jobs. They may not be perfect but are at least in my chosen field (which I absolutely love!) and I'm constantly gaining more experience. Don't panic over your first post-graduate job experience. Try to get as much experience and knowledge you can and if you still absolutely hate it find something else. Life is too short to spend it stuck in a job that you are miserable in. There are always possibilities out there, you may just have to look harder for some of them.
Living at Home as a New Graduate is the End of the World
Like most American college graduates, I lived away from home while in college and was not looking forward to the move back home after graduation. You've spent the past few years finally gaining your independence and freedom to be brought back home feeling like it almost never happened. While it may
feel like the end of the world, it really isn't. If your parents or family allows you to move back home, especially rent free, I highly suggest you take them up on their kindness.
It may not seem ideal for you, you may want to try and push yourself out into the 'real-world', but with the money you will be saving on rent you can use this opportunity to save a substantial amount of money to help pay down your student loans and establish yourself in the future. Along with this savings boost, living at home can give you time to sort out your goals and aspirations without risking a financial loss. Living at home helped me save thousands that I was able to put towards moving to Spain this Fall. And if you're afraid about losing your independence talk with your family about what you all want
and need from the living arrangement. They may be surprisingly accommodating, after all they were your age once before.
You'll Never be Able to Pay Off Your Student Loans or Afford Anything Ever Again
This fear of daunting student loan payments goes hand and hand with the financial benefits of moving back home. Some people may rack up student loan debt without thinking about it and some may not have any other way to afford college, but the need to repay what was borrowed remains the same. They can be very confusing and it can quickly seem impossible to
make sense of your student loans. However, I promise that if you know as much as you can about your loans they will be much less scary.
What many new graduates may not realize is that lenders can be understanding and there may be programs in place to help make your student loan payments more affordable like: payment plans, interest rate deductions, etc. All you have to do is ask! It may take a while to pay off your loans, depending on how much you owe and if you reduce payments, but it
is possible and one day
you will. And having student loan payments doesn't mean you have to sacrifice all enjoyment in your life. You can still have money for things like: entertainment, shopping, and
travel. You'll just have to work hard and sort your priorities; decide what is important to you and your life. Just remember that student loans are not the end of the world either!
You'll Have No Social Life and No Friends
This one is tough because it does have some truth in it. Working full-time makes it harder to have the social life that most college graduates are used to, and it is much harder to keep the friends you had in college as well as meet new ones. You will have as many breaks or time off as you did in school, but it doesn't mean you can't go out or enjoy your life as it is now (which I think is pretty fun, hello classy wine tastings!). Instead of having free time during the day you'll have to utilize your nights and weekends, which can be hard for friends still in college because you'll be running on different time schedules, but it is possible.
And now that you're out of school you are probably further away from your college friends, but it's always possible to
bridge the gap in a long-distance relationship (ideas whether romantic or between friends!). It will require more work to keep these friendships strong, but you'll start to see who are the friends worth putting the effort into and which friends are better left in your college days. And as for making new friends, it can also be challenging post-college. You no longer have clubs or classes to meet new people and may not work in an environment with people, but like most things isn't impossible. You can make new friends and
survive life after college by getting involved in your community and joining groups with people who have similar interests.
Put yourself out there and you will surely find interesting people that have the potential to be life long friends. I love my life after college and love the group of friends I've retained, and the new ones I've made. College may be over, but this is the start of the rest of your life. It's all about what you make of it.
And for those of you who need a laugh via Buzzfeed:
Enter the Real World: Expectations vs. Reality. Enjoy.
What has your life after college been like? Have you found any of these 'myths' to be a reality in your personal experience?
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