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So here we are…FIVE. YEARS. LATER. Through the midst of sleepless nights, mental breakdowns, laughter with friends, crazy professors, and timeless memories…I finally graduated from university. Not to sound corny, but honestly where has the time gone? Life has a funny way of speeding up once you hit life after grad and there’s certainly no exception when you aren’t getting any younger.
In today’s post, I want to take time to talk about life transitions. As I am currently going through it, I know that many have also and it seems like nobody really touches on the topic of life after grad.
If there was a syllabus on what to expect in life, would you take it? It’s an honest question. At some point, regardless of whether you attend post-secondary or not, we are all faced with crossroads. These moments are pivotal and for that reason, making the right decision can be quite daunting.
I resonate with this. University was supposed to provide all the solutions, which is why a lot of people attend. You go to school, learn, graduate, and somehow have a job. Boom! Easy! Wrong! This is so so SOOO WRONG, my goodness!!
Although I’ve been blessed enough to have a job immediately after graduating (all thanks to previously landing a summer internship), I can’t lie. The opportunity provided me with a short glimpse into the real world before post-graduation. And for that reason, I may be a little more susceptible to the transition as the experience definitely opened my eyes.
Nonetheless, the emotions are still there and they are definitely still real.
5 years later…I can tell you that I’m still problem solving even though I clearly did not seek a degree in Mathematics (abeg, please don’t give me long division problems. I will question how I even got this far).
There’s this desire to make certain of the uncertainty. It’s this notion of feeling confident, but stuck in an uncomfortable state where the end goal is visible. However, the path to get there is still unpaved.
Hardships are a true test of your strength. Believe me when I say you are capable of anything. It’s more about whether you want to break through it.
How badly do you want to succeed? Remember, the choice is always yours.
It starts with understanding identity and knowing how to chase your dreams, how to utilize opportunities, how to manage your emotions, how to confront analysis paralysis, how to manage your time, and how to manage money (the gross truth ugh). The list goes on, but those are just a few to scratch the surface.
On the bright side, if you’re feeling uncomfortable at least you know you’re being challenged…so that’s a bit of relief. If you truly want to grow, you need to be out of your comfort zone.
Some Advice To Those At The Starting Line
- If you choose to pursue post-secondary, do an exchange early on during your academics. Your surroundings have a big impact on your learning experience
- Be weary of your first two years. Those are the years where you are testing the waters to understand yourself as a student
- Visit your advisor every semester before registering for classes
- Go on more information coffee dates to pick the brains of industry people. Trust me, time will fly faster than you anticipate
- Don’t forget to live in the moment and show gratitude
- You will meet people who will either be a short or long-term lesson. Always take note
- Utilize the school resources. Simply because they’re there for you and (surprise!) you already paid from them
- Get to know yourself because it’s so easy to lose yourself. But always embrace healthy changes
- Don’t be so hard on yourself. Learn to weigh the importance of what is a priority and what can be done later
- On the flip side— ‘smarten up’. Have your fun, but develop good habits
Use these these opportunities to mold yourself. And even if you aren’t able to do all of these things, accept any mistakes you make because they will speak to you in ways you never would have thought of.
Combatting the Life After Grad Transition
How do you do it when you’re well into adulthood and don’t really want to spend any more time going to or paying for school?
Well newsflash, you will have to make an investment. Sorry not sorry. It may not always be of monetary value, or in this case specifically attending post-secondary, but any initiative made will be put towards receiving a ROI for the discovery of your passion.
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Identity crisis will happen and unless you are out of this world, I guarantee everybody has come across a time in their life where they have questioned who they really are. It is normal.
In the case of many, you do years of schooling and sometimes (if not always lol) you lose sense of who you are. There’s always a gravitation towards attaching yourself to a specific identity— ie. the student. So when you get to the transition phase it can be difficult to let go and realize it’s time to become the teacher or better, the expert.
Sometimes all it takes is starting to determining two things:
- What are your interests?
- Out of those interests, why are you passionate about it?
You are full of knowledge and capability. Even if you feel unsure, take the time to dig deep and understand yourself. It will help to calm any sense of feeling like you’re going through an identity crisis.
This will guide you to the starting line. Since there’s always a strive for building some sort of structure, let your foundation be based on your passions. In turn, you’ll be one step closer to enjoying life with ease.
yes yes yes thank you for all of this! Life after college can be stressful AF!!! Thank god you found a job before graduating. I struggled trying to break into the industry even with 4 internships under my belt. I realized I had to find my niche and understand what I’m really passionate about
I was recently discussing this with some girlfriends and I think there should be a whole semester dedicated to teaching real life stuff that people can apply after school. Something like how to change your oil and how to cook etc lol
Post grad life has definitely been an interesting journey. I have had to dig deep and take things slow but I cant say that I havent freaked out about life. I am two years out of graduation and still trying to figure out where to turn. Congrats on your graduation and good luck!
Very interesting perspective and lots of tools to carry a new grad far. I can conquer with most of your assessment. I graduated college in 92 and life was so different then. As a mom of a soon to be college graduate, you all have so much more opportunities than we had. You can litterally write your own ticket. Excellent read for sure.