So, you graduated college. This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. No relatives raising their eyebrows when you tell them that no, you haven’t dropped out yet (and yes, you’re still single, thanks), no more classes, no more essays – just the sweet relief of knowing that you hold in your hand the key to the rest of your life.
Right? Right?
However, sometimes things don’t go that smoothly, and it’s worth considering what could happen when and if the worst case scenario hits post-graduation. And what exactly is that scenario?
Your Friends
At every stage of life – high school, college, work- you’re told that you’re making friends for life by at least one person. The truth? You never know who’s going to stick around, so don’t put too much pressure on your college friendships to last a lifetime. So you spent the last two summers on holiday together, drinking till your liver wept in protest and trying to hook up with cute guys/girls? That’s awesome, but consider this: most of your friends, and you, will probably move away after college.
You might live on the other side of the city, or the other side of the world – fact is, you’re both going to be moving on with your lives now. Sure, you can meet up and reminisce about old times, but don’t get too caught up in the allure of forging never-ending friendships. The ones who are meant to stay in your life after graduation will no matter what the distance, but most of your college friends are probably going to drift off to the level of occasional Facebook stalkee.
Your Job
That’s what you’ve been hanging around here for, right? Spending (insert number of years) here working, learning, and scraping by so you can find the job of your dreams. It ain’t too rosy out on the job market right now, and the chances of you tumbling fresh-faced out of college and into a degree-appropriate job is pretty minimal. You’ll probably spend hours staring at scores of email cover letters to jobs more and more distantly related to your field of study, before winding up taking something that just pays the bills. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of – it’s that, or move back in with the (whisper it) parents. Which you’ll definitely see some of your old dorm buddies doing in the months following graduation.
Your Money
And speaking of moving in with your parents, what about the money situation? There are no student loans to bounce you through nights of drinking and debauchery – no it’s down to what you can earn in your non-degree-related job (see above) that probably involves smiling politely at assholes for about 65% of your day. You’ll have to start planning a budget in advance for nights out (which will inevitably give you a hangover now, on top of everything else), and rent week will be spent munching on lots of sandwiches and noodles.
