I, like any other recent college grad, have enveloped myself in the fears and unknowns of post-grad adulthood. For years, I'd a routine that involved classes, studying for those classes, and hours and hours working to purchase those classes. I was so comfortable with that routine which i almost forgot it wasn't a forever thing. The endless list of unknowns grows every day when i still apply for jobs. After several months of applying, I’ve basically accepted the truth that not many 20-somethings get their life prepared to a tee. This feeling hit me at graduation several months ago. While I have a thousand other words in my head that may apply nicely towards the building stress of nothing happening within my year following graduation, The fact is this lovely feeling is anxiety.
Anxiety is a nice strong word.
Anxiety: A situation of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties
I gave myself the advantage of the doubt when first considering how to take about this topic. Anxiety? Me? Not a way. After which someone asked me the way the new job search was going. That's when it hit me: I've simply no idea what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, or next month.
I don't think I can explain how strange it feels to possess spare time when I am not waitressing. That could strike many people as unusual. However for me, somebody that works upwards of 50-60 hours a week, someone who used to take 18-21 credit hours a semester just to get extra classes in, spare time feels foreign. I'm one that loves to plan in advance and remain organized. After i realize that I've got a shift off, my initial instinct is nearly a small panic since i do not have other things happening workplace or education wise. In terms of my job search, well, let’s just say that seems to be a never-ending operate in progress. It's that little poking and prodding feeling of uneasiness that sets me on edge. When the post-grad life hit and I didn’t have everything of my life within my control, that bothered me A LOT. That’s something I wasn’t ready to face.
Personally, I believe now more than ever, university students possess some right to the uncertainty that may follow after graduation in this not-so-awesome economy. In addition to that, your competition for jobs is greater than ever, as young entrepreneurs strive to end up being the next Mark Zuckerberg or Sophia Amoruso. You don’t need a college degree for a large number of employers today. So, what if I can’t so something with my degree which i paid thousands for and worked hard for?
There a multitude of what ifs that just can't be answered as soon as we would like. Let's say I can not look for a job? Let's say student loans are too much to handle? What if I can not afford a condo or my bills? Let's say, let's say, let's say?
To those who always convince young minds they would not get anywhere without a degree: BITE ME. Don't misunderstand me, high school was excellent preparation for college, but what the heck was the superfluous behavior of college intended to prepare me for? I think I know perhaps a handful of people that had jobs in place before graduation. My degree and skills have been plastered to application and job boards like CareerBuilder and LinkedIn for over annually. Used to do everything right: I applied earlier, I took extra courses, I worked on building my portfolio, I got involved when the time was appropriate. But about 6 months after graduating but still lacking any luck having a job, my degree felt like the last bit of toilet tissue around the roll: useless.
My increasing panic that I would not land employment outside the restaurant industry made me understand that nothing can truly get you prepared for the real world. The amount of what ifs which have been through my thoughts is sort of ridiculous; people always propose that you live day-by-day and take every moment in stride, but you can't blame someone, especially a current college graduate, for having anxiety about the future.
However, this transition period will pass.
Everyone else in our generation, surprisingly, goes through the identical thing. They are mapping out an agenda for living, expenses, and employment post-graduation that is likely to change. There is a few weeks left of what everyone believes to become the time of the lives. Hello? How can you 't be worried about what’s next? This can be a huge step forward that people can't ever be truly prepared for. Everything changes after graduation: relationships, friendships, living situations, employment, finances, everything.
Feeling stressed is common. The main thing to consider when realizing you're an anxiety-crazed maniac after graduating and not having a job or another plan's that you’re not alone. Job searching may take months. Keeping in touch with friends who've gone separate ways could be easy thanks to Snapchat, Facebook, and iMessage. Driving your 20s is now socially acceptable and even applauded. Who needs their life determined by 22? Be adventurous, be spontaneous, be 22. Take time to enjoy the little things that you haven’t experienced yet.
In all seriousness, over the last month or two alone, I'm realizing that the anxiety which i experienced post-graduation is ok and also normal. You aren't designed to know what may happen tomorrow. Life is unpredictable. Make unpredictable your motive for a lifetime after graduation. No, I am not asking you to fall off the radar or drop all of your ambitions. I'm saying consider the what ifs like a challenge to creating this transition time an adventurous one. Experiencing and embracing the what ifs in life is one thing you won’t have the ability to use a full-time job along with a family. Consuming yourself with be worried about things that you can’t control isn’t the road for you personally; your fear of the unknown could hinder your chance of unpredictable greatness. Make those months after college spontaneous. Make those what ifs a why not.
While we're on the note of life being unpredictable, I was recently offered employment which i never even requested or knew about. Turns out this job is what I used to be looking for in all of the wrong places. See, things really do exercise.
