Post Undergrad Series: The Unspokens
It's May. You're about to graduate college. Every day you see another Facebook post announcing graduate school acceptances, Full bright achievements, and glamorous job offers. Your best friend is moving out of the country and another is pursuing the teaching career of her dreams. You see countless Teach for America, City Year, and Peace Corps positions. Everyone around you is seemingly doing incredible and fabulous things.
You're happy for them.
You're also pursuing an exciting path. You've accepted a new position in a new city. You're ready for a new adventure. You're nervous but happy with your decision. Hey, at least you have something right?
Time moves forward and you start to feel unsettled. The position you accepted is okay but nowhere near your dream job. If you only knew what that was. But you know it's probably not this.
This will be temporary.
You push forward, try to stay positive, and keep perspective. But it gets harder. All of life seems to get harder. Your friends are no longer around 24/7. Paying bills and student loans becomes a glaring reality. You're no longer surrounded by your mentors and peers who validated and challenged you. You feel an overwhelming pressure to have your life figured out because look at everyone else.
Perspective.
I recently had a phone conversation with college friend who did a Full Bright and was now heading to get his Masters degree. Wow, that sounds impressive right? And in his own right, his accomplishments are very impressive. But as we talked, and I told him of my post- grad struggles, he began to agree. He mentioned feeling out of place during his Full Bright. As he was home, waiting to leave for grad school, he said it felt temporary. Transient.
Then, it clicked for me.
We all feel this way at some point. No one has it all together post-grad. No one feels fully achieved and satisfied straight out of under grad. Even if it seems like they do. Even if that's all you can see around you is others' successes. But everyone questions if what they're doing is right. Everyone goes through periods of uncertainty and feeling temporary.
But we don't talk about it. We don't post about it on social media. We don't talk about how much we're struggling. We're trying to figure out how to be adults. Asking: what is my social life now that my friends live across the world? How do I cook for myself on a budget? Can I afford to pay off my student loans? Do I feel successful in my job? Is my job fulfilling? Am I happy?
Why didn't we see this coming? Why didn't anyone warn an entire generation of post-undergraduates about the extent to which they would struggle? Sure, I knew life isn't a cake walk but in some regard, I feel like I was blindsided. And I think others would agree. Is it our college institutions job to better prepare us for uncertainty? Career centers? Professors? Parents?
Is our generation more adventurous? More lost? Should we keep exploring or find a sense of community, root in, and build? The entire experience of post-grad so far has felt like one blind jump after another. I can see the value but it would be nice to be able to open my eyes and see what I'm aiming for.
Of course, I have no answers but merely pose the questions and wanted to raise up the unspokens of the post-graduate experience.
I hope this can inspire someone to talk about their struggles. To let every post-graduate know, I'm here for you. We feel you.
You're happy for them.
You're also pursuing an exciting path. You've accepted a new position in a new city. You're ready for a new adventure. You're nervous but happy with your decision. Hey, at least you have something right?
Time moves forward and you start to feel unsettled. The position you accepted is okay but nowhere near your dream job. If you only knew what that was. But you know it's probably not this.
This will be temporary.
You push forward, try to stay positive, and keep perspective. But it gets harder. All of life seems to get harder. Your friends are no longer around 24/7. Paying bills and student loans becomes a glaring reality. You're no longer surrounded by your mentors and peers who validated and challenged you. You feel an overwhelming pressure to have your life figured out because look at everyone else.
Perspective.
I recently had a phone conversation with college friend who did a Full Bright and was now heading to get his Masters degree. Wow, that sounds impressive right? And in his own right, his accomplishments are very impressive. But as we talked, and I told him of my post- grad struggles, he began to agree. He mentioned feeling out of place during his Full Bright. As he was home, waiting to leave for grad school, he said it felt temporary. Transient.
Then, it clicked for me.
We all feel this way at some point. No one has it all together post-grad. No one feels fully achieved and satisfied straight out of under grad. Even if it seems like they do. Even if that's all you can see around you is others' successes. But everyone questions if what they're doing is right. Everyone goes through periods of uncertainty and feeling temporary.
But we don't talk about it. We don't post about it on social media. We don't talk about how much we're struggling. We're trying to figure out how to be adults. Asking: what is my social life now that my friends live across the world? How do I cook for myself on a budget? Can I afford to pay off my student loans? Do I feel successful in my job? Is my job fulfilling? Am I happy?
Why didn't we see this coming? Why didn't anyone warn an entire generation of post-undergraduates about the extent to which they would struggle? Sure, I knew life isn't a cake walk but in some regard, I feel like I was blindsided. And I think others would agree. Is it our college institutions job to better prepare us for uncertainty? Career centers? Professors? Parents?
Is our generation more adventurous? More lost? Should we keep exploring or find a sense of community, root in, and build? The entire experience of post-grad so far has felt like one blind jump after another. I can see the value but it would be nice to be able to open my eyes and see what I'm aiming for.
Of course, I have no answers but merely pose the questions and wanted to raise up the unspokens of the post-graduate experience.
I hope this can inspire someone to talk about their struggles. To let every post-graduate know, I'm here for you. We feel you.
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