Life beyond college

Life after college is not what you think it is even years later. For some reason when we are in college we expect work hard, have fun, graduate and then walk into a wonderful career. That is not what happens. I don't recall any of my professors ever telling me it was going to be like that. Maybe I conjured the idea from the many, many movies I have watched over my lifetime.

What really happens is pure chaos. If you are one of the lucky few you will leave college and be able to secure a job in your field of study within a couple of weeks if not before you leave (fortunately that was me). However, the majority of college graduate take months applying for jobs, working minimum wage jobs waiting for a call back and interview. This goes on for what seems like an eternity. I watched many friends go through this and at least half of them found a job but not within their field of study. When we graduated in 2009 it was ugly, I would hate to be any graduate after ours because I can only imagine how much worse it is. But this post really isn't about finding a job after college. It more about all of the realizations you have after college. So here is a list of 10 things I have realized since graduating college and entering the workforce.

1. Taking out students loans is stupid. I wish I would have had the knowledge I do know to take out less student loans or find other ways to pay for school. After leaving college I was billed at $600 a month to pay my loans. Thankfully, I got married right after college so together we were able to make those payments but if I had been alone that may not have been the case. We have been able to put extra towards my loans so our monthly payment is less now, but it still outrageous.

2. I have a passion for more than just people. I went to school and got a psychology degree but now after being in the work field I realize I also have a passion for business, organization, planning and strategic plans. If I had taken the time to figure that out in college instead of picking a path and never straying I would have most likely gotten a different degree which would have set me up for more opportunities now. Instead, I will need to go back in order to progress in the field I now know I want to be in.

3. Making new friends outside of college is hard. It's hard to stick up a conversation and get to know someone in a situation that isn't a dorm room or class. Sure you think you will just be friends with your co-workers and go out for drinks after work. Maybe but most likely you will have to try and break into the inner circle of co-worker which could take months and that it if everyone stays and doesn't move onto a new job. Then finding people to meet is hard. I don't like to walk up to people at the gym or Starbucks and just try and have a conversation. Where do you meet people?!

4. Keeping friends from college is much harder than you think. It's like high school all over again. You think it will be different because you’re 'older and more mature' but it's not. You lose touch with most of your friends quickly and are only able to maintain a small handful of them because most people move after college. I am lucky to still have a few of my college friends around and have been able to maintain some long distance relationships but the notion that you will just hop on a plane because you will have a 'real job' and see your friends isn't really an option when you realize everything is really expensive.

5. Everything is expensive. I never knew how much it would cost to buy a new couch or new bed! When we were getting ready to move into a house together me and H wanted to get some new furniture together. We thought we could go into a furniture store and come out with a complete living room set for about $1,000. We were so wrong. Just for a decent couch you are looking to pay that. Then if you want a new bedroom set you better sell a kidney.

6. Your late nights of partying is pretty much over. You may party on the weekends (even though I bet after a while that doesn't happen every weekend)--maybe even a weeknight here or there. But for the most part you spend your weeknights at home watching tv. You may grab dinner with some girlfriends or catch a show but most nights you will be in bed by 10 or 11 so you can get up early for the gym, work, or whatever. You soon will find that you have a bedtime and you don't like to break it.

7. Advancing in your career is hard and will take years. I think in the back of everyone's minds they are a secret superstar and assume that they will advance up the career later quickly and will make money quickly. That is not true. Most people will spend years in the same position to finally get a promotion or move jobs. It's hard work. I am hoping by the time I am in my late 30's to feel like I am finally making progress in my career.

8. Taxes are stupid. That's all I will say there.

9. I will never retire. I mean how am I supposed to start saving for retirement when I don't make money. Well, I make money but not really enough to start an IRA or 401K and contribute to it. It's frustrating.

10. The old adage that a young person will have 10 jobs before they are 40 may be pretty true. I am not talking about part time jobs but full time jobs after college. I see young people always sailing away to another company in order to make more money or have more opportunity. I can see the merit in needing to move jobs for these reasons but I also wonder how much we miss out on when we don't say a place for at least 4 years. Do we every really have the opportunity to learn from our co-workers or organization if we leave every two years?