Dear Reader,
It was suggested to me that I write about how much it sucks to be a recent grad in light of the crappy economy that will undoubtedly be sluggish to shed a glimmer of hope. How the security of college life is better than the struggles of the real world. How dreadful it is to return to a home that may seem foreign to you after being away for years.
But I’m actually kind of thankful.
The idea of not having solid post-grad plans made me incredibly anxious and stressed. I always had a plan. You do your homework to get good grades. You join clubs. You study for tests. You study because you have to do well on them. You have to do well on them because you have to apply for the next level of education. Why?
Because that is what you have been told to do since you were five years old.
So during my post-grad crisis, I decided to turn this down time into something positive, more constructive. Do a little soul-searching. I came to the conclusion that I was going to utilize my degree in my future career to some extent. I didn’t want to be part of the 85% of folks with degrees that don’t actually end up in a career related to their pricey investment. I research what interests me, what the trends are, etc. I can do this because I have a lot of free time, you see. And I don’t want to be the average person that goes through ten jobs before they find one they’re content with. If it was my choice, I would get it right the first time–but nothing in life is for certain. Experience is the name of the game.
It’s fun because I’m back rediscovering the city; and I can go places and see things that being at school in the middle of the cornfields would have otherwise prevented me from doing. I would be doing myself a disservice to attend a grad program that I wasn’t 100% sure I needed. I would hate myself even more if I took a 9-5 job that I absolutely dreaded, just to say I have a job. I’d rather take unpaid experiences to learn more about something I’m passionate about. No questions asked.
I’m thankful that I’m not in school anymore. Some people may prefer that lifestyle because they think it’s more fun than the ‘real world.’ When they say that, they really mean that they miss hanging out with their friends. Easy access to parties and people their age. The ability to roam the campus as they please, with no one to tell them what they can or cannot do. But guess what? I love that I can wake up without any obligation to go to class. I love that I don’t have the stress of studying for three exams in one week, or writing some b.s. 10-page paper.
And as much as I dreaded returning to rules that are outdated and a nuisance to my independence, I am extremely thankful that I’ve returned to live with my parents. Yes it sucks because you lose the last four years of independence that you’ve built up, but it’s not that bad. I’m in a home that I don’t pay rent for. I don’t pay any utility bills. There’s food on the table. And most importantly, I still have my room, lol.
So yeah, being an unemployed grad, living with their parents, in one of the MOST DEPRESSING AND EXPENSIVE cities in the nation isn’t exactly the high-life one looks forward to after graduation. But you have to always look at the brighter side of things, and be thankful for what you have: a degree, a home to come back to, and another chance to re-discover yourself. After all, it could be worse.
Happy Thanksgiving
