When looking for a topic to write on, I was given the advice to write about what I know. So I thought what better than to write about things I have learned this past year. I cannot believe that it has actually been a almost year since I have been out of college. It feels like yesterday that I got dressed in my cap and gown and jumped around at Camp Randall with 6,000 of my fellow Badgers as we celebrated going to the greatest school in the world (only a little bias). The day I graduated college will forever be one of the most bittersweet moments of my life.
Graduation is a roller coaster of emotions that is exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. You are gleaming with pride that you actually did it, celebrating that fact that there no more homework or cram sessions in your future, a feeling of real sadness to leave it all behind and sometime paralyzing fear of the unknown future you're about to embark on. All at the same time. It is emotionally exhausting. The roller coaster doesn't last long and soon you will get a hang of this whole "being an adult" thing you've been preparing for your entire life.
I'm here to tell you that there is life after college and it doesn't suck as much as I thought it would. I definitely miss some things about college and my life, but there are also things that I love about being on my own and becoming a real adult.
So, without further ado, here are the top 10 most important things I have come to learn about life after college.
1. Student loan debt is a bitch.
I apologize for the bluntness of this statement, but there really is no other way to describe the ball and chain that I will be carrying around for many years to come. Every month I see a nice chunk of my paycheck just float away into the oblivion that is my student loan balance. I hope that you are unlike me and you do not have the black cloud of debt following you around, but if you are like me, just know that it is going to be ok and that you are not alone. The Institute of College Access and Success reports that 7 out of 10 students graduating in 2013 left school with almost $30,000 worth of debt. This is a staggering number of students and it sucks that this is a reality so many of us face, but it is what it is and you have to keep moving forward. You invested in yourself by going to college and getting a good job and now it is time to pay off that investment. There are many tools out there for people with student loan debt, but my biggest tip for conquering student loan debt? Budgeting.
2. Budgeting is a necessity.
Setting up a realistic budget is absolutely crucial. Worrying about money is incredibly exhausting and something that can basically be avoided by making and sticking to a budget. You may have been lucky enough to have received help from your parents when in college: grocery help here, covering your cell phone bill there. Life after college is really the time to becoming self-sufficient and start covering these expenses on your own. Rent is expensive. Bills are expensive. Life in general is expensive. I know the new Kate Spade bag is amazing and you can finally afford to splurge once in a while, but the trick to financial success really is living within (or sometimes even below) your means. Trust me, I know this is easier said than done, but you're already going to be stressed out with all of the life changes occurring around you so eliminating financial stress from that equation will make your life that much easier. Once you get a job and figure out how much you are taking home every paycheck, its time to sit down and really set up a budget. Make sure you are covering all of your bills before deciding how much you are willing to spend on going out to the bars or on iced coffee this month. I swear by Mint.com as a way to keep track of all of your spending while setting up a monthly budget (stay tuned for a post all about Mint and how to use the site to your advantage).
3. Searching for jobs is no fun.
Word to those college seniors about to graduate without a job set up yet: finding a job sucks but it's going to be ok. Finding your first job out of college is terrifying. How do you know that you're making the right decision? How much money should you ask for? What the heck is up with health insurance and how do I decide how much coverage I need? What do you wear to an interview? What do I say when I have no idea how to answer a question? In all honestly, you probably won't have the answers to all of those questions. I spent countless hours looking online for jobs last summer. I probably have at least 15 different versions of my resume saved and ready to go along with 50+ cover letters written. Finding a job became a full time job in itself. After awhile, I was happy when I would get a reply for a company telling me that the position had been filled or that they chose a more qualified candidate because it meant that they at least took time out of their days to let me know that I could finally breath and continue on my hunt. I looked up and had 2-3 answers for every interview question under the sun. Moral of the story? Keep chugging along and the right job with come along.
4. Real world dating is fun.
It is also scary, but that is part of what makes it fun. Right out of college dating is super chill and relaxed (at least in my experience). You meet some one (where exactly you do that is a great question and one that I am still working on figuring out myself), go out for a couple of drinks and if you like each other you go out again. If not, then you don't. Its usually drama-free and you move onto the next one if it doesn't work out. You get a feel for what you like and what you don't like and are looking for someone you could potentially spend the rest of your life with. Sure, you will probably have to kiss a couple of frogs before meeting "the one", but that's part of the fun. How do you really know what you want without knowing what you don't want? Bad date stories are great over a bottle of wine with your best friend whom will laugh in your face and pour you another glass. You are young and hot. Have fun with it.
5. Living alone is actually amazing.
If there is one thing I have loved most about life after graduation it is living alone. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved my college roommates and wouldn't take any of it back, but there is just something great about having your own space that is amazing. Everything in my apartment belongs to me. I can be a slob and not do the dishes for a week if I want. I can walk around naked in the middle of the day if I want. It is incredibly liberating and I love it. It is going to take someone pretty great (or some increased financial stress because living alone gets expensiveeee) for me to go back to having a roommate.
6. Its ok to relive the glory days every once in a while.
No one said you have to shrivel up and get boring after college. You can absolutely still go out and have one to many drinks from time to time. You can still make decisions you may regret in the morning. You can still be a little reckless from time to time. You can still go back to your old stomping grounds and have a little fun. That being said, all of this should be done in moderation after college. Drinking 4 nights a week was fun and all in college, but now that's called alcoholism and irresponsibility and no one wants either of those.You don't have to completely close the door on your college days just yet. College was a time where you figured out who you were. There is nothing wrong with revisiting that time every once in awhile. Moderation is key.
7. Its amazing how much weight you lose when you stop drinking so heavily.
Going off of #6. Moderation will do wonders. Seriously.
8. Its time to update your wardrobe.
By this time in your life, you should have your fashion figured out. You should know what looks good on you and your body and what you should stay away from. There is nothing wrong with taking some chances, but filling your closet with some staples is key. You are a young professional and should be dressing as such. No more tushy hanging out of the bottom of your shorts or crop tops in the middle of the day. Take that big girl paycheck and go buy a nice blazer and some neutral colored shoes and embrace your inner young professional.
9. College is not the end of the road.
If anything, it was only the beginning. Everyone tells you that college is the best four years of your life. If you did it right, they probably were pretty awesome, but life after college can still be great. For example, real life means a real job with real money to do things with. More money than you ever had in college. Change is scary but inevitable. Although also terrifying, there is also something so exciting about not knowing what the next year is going to hold for you. This is the time to explore and live and be the person you worked so hard to find during college.
10. Don't be so hard on yourself.
This one is the most important. You're doing the best you can. Nobody has their life completely figured out at 23. Just keep chugging along and life will fall into place along the way.
So as you post your #tbt photos as you look back on your time in college, just remember that life does move on and that it can be as great as you want it to be.
