Good morning Loves. Let’s get real for a minute, I want to ask you a question. If you are in college, what do you plan to do after graduation? I am sure if you ask any college grad they will tell you that life doesn’t always turn out as planned after graduation. I know mine didn’t. Sometimes it’s for the better and sometimes life takes you on a path less desired. Either way life after college is something to look forward to.
I grew up in a small town where you graduate from college, get married, buy a house and have kids. Well I have a college degree and a boyfriend, but no house and kids – and that’s just fine with me. At first I felt like a failure when things didn’t go as planned, but now I’ve grown to be thankful for everything I have. I have a great job and a boyfriend of 15 years who loves me. I am also thankful that I live in a big city where I have many more opportunities than I would have if I stayed in my small hometown.
So now let’s get back to your story. You’ve graduated and finally achieved the task that you’ve been working towards over the last four years. But now what? What are you doing after graduation?
Looking for a job. I worked all through college and I definitely advise college students to do the same. Working in retail sales or in a restaurant during your first couple years of college is great because the hours are flexible and it gives you a bit of extra money. As you get closer to graduation it’s a good idea to start looking for a job in your field of study. This will help increase your chances of landing a full time job after graduation. You will need a full time job to help pay off your student loan debt and all your other expenses such as rent and monthly bills.
Enjoying your free time. Life gets real after college. It’s time to enter the real world, get a job and start paying bills. It’s not fun but that’s just how life goes. I worked all through college so graduation was kind of a relief for me. I already had a full time job but now I had a whole bunch of free time on my hands because I no longer had to go to class, do homework and schedule group projects. Graduation was a nice break for me.
Applying to grad school. My free time after graduation made me wonder about my place in life. That’s what happens when you have always been super busy and suddenly end up with nothing to do but work 9 to 5. Believe it or not I actually missed school after graduation. Not right after grad, but shortly after I finished school I went back. A year after graduating in economics I went back to school to study business law and then I decided to study to become a financial planner. It’s weird because I was so happy to graduate I never thought I would go back to school – but I did…twice.
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I don’t think you really asked for replies this time but I will pitch in…When I got out many years ago, I figured if I didn’t have a job through the interviews at my college then I would go back home and start from there. I got a job just a few weeks after graduation and moved 3 hours away. Shortly after I was transferred to another town 4 hours away from my home. I was on autopilot with my career til I came home for a wedding and decided I didn’t want to be 4 hours from my family for the rest of my life so I resigned my job and came back to my hometown, worked for a while and have lived here ever since. I married and took a long delay from work to raise my family which is what we decided was best at the time. My main point is that I felt God had a plan for my life and knew it would not all be spelled out at the time but sort of evolve over time and that is what has happened. We can’t see all the pieces of the puzzle, especially at the ripe old age of a 22 year old graduate.
Hey Michelle,
You know we always love comments. That’s a great story. It’s all about the life balance. Money doesn’t matter if you aren’t happy. I have really learned that over the years. Sometimes when I’m going to a rough time I try to think about the bigger picture like “what is the universe trying to tell me right now?” Thank goodness things always have a way of working themselves out. Thanks for sharing.