It is a big transition after college.
For me, I am still looking for a job and have decided to take some temp retail jobs in the mean time. It has been a difficult process, especially having a far less fulfilled social life now. I have friends that are still taking classes, some that went to graduate school, some that went abroad to teach in Korea, and some that are working. My boyfriend is still taking classes too, sometimes I come back to visit, but it's not very frequent. It's a bit frightening sometimes not knowing what my future is.

Everyone has a different story of their next step and I want to see other people's experiences.
Having less contact with friends? Long distance relationship? Finding their real first job and how? The wait until finding the next big thing? Getting Married?

And if you are in the transition now or it was years ago and seeing where you are now.

Please share your story~

Post-graduation is stressful.
everyone assumes they are going to get a job once you get out of college, no that's not the case for the most part.
it's pretty depressing adjusting to the (real world)

adaptation is not an easy thing. especially if you went to school more than 20 years old your life. That's why most people go back to school. because most people don't know this thing called "work"

i have a small social life, but that's me.. that's how i like it, I'm an introvert.

for the most part i'm happy. whats the next big thing for me? I don't worry about that stuff too much.. I just want good health, fair education, and above minimum wage job to take care of myself and my family.

edit -
something to really keep in mind is.. don't get discouraged or have low-self esteem from the real world.

Currently 25, working and I miss my college years. Spent 2 years working as a server during and after graduation, looking for work. Found a job earlier this year with a company that treats me well and co-workers that are really awesome. Just not completely satisfied with what I do (environmental engineer), so I've been taking classes to slowly shift towards another department within the company.

My work schedule kinda left me disconnected with my core group of friends (who have already drifted away from one another, somewhat), so I've been spending weekends with others, or going out to meet new people. Trying to date more frequently, too, lol

Having money is nice, but honestly, I'd rather have the time I used to have. I get by on the bare essentials. Thinking of saving up and getting the necessary work experience for now, so I can go study at Yonsei or Sogang in a few years, then come back to work again. I figure the further I get into my career, the less time I'll have to do something like that.

nerdy.blogspot.com

The job market was still OK when I graduated college (06), but I went to grad school. Just about all of my classmates in my majors found jobs though. We still manage to keep in touch every so often.


Grad school has been a good experience for the most part, but I'm about ready to finish up and take my crack at the real world. I'm (supposedly) supposed to finish up next year and I really need to figure out what to do.

I got a job as soon as I graduated College. It was because of the Internship I did for the hospital I worked for. I also don't work full time because I went back to school to further my specialization.

Right now, it's hard to adjust and apply for a job because of the economic depression (unless in Medical Field). That's why it is recommended that during your Internship, to make friends, get business cards and tell them you would want to apply once you graduated.

After I graduated my parents told me to get a job.
So I did, it was miserable and I hated it.

I got used to waking up everyday at 7:30 to suit up and go to my desk job. I worked at a Korean trading company for little over a year trading steel. Then quit. You thought living with Koreans was bad.... try working for them!

I moved onto manufacturing (yeah I actually worked in a factory lol).
I used to make stationary products for a company that helped schools fund raise.
It was grueling, and eventually I got laid off (the owner really wanted a PT, but hired me as FT, realized she doesn't need a FT, and then let me go). I learned what dedication is, how use the maximum amount of hours in your day, and my boss re-defined what hard work is in my dictionary. She showed me things that I thought were impossible. She changed my life and my view about careers and work.

Even though I had to cancel my lease, lose my apt, lifestyle, freedom, I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything. It was a remarkable experience. Of course I didn't make much money. But what I learned... it was priceless. After I got laid off, I was out hunting for another job.. My mom actually sympathized with me while my dad was asking me what I did wrong. Its just the boss didn't need a FT. Stationary products is a seasonal business.

I'm back in a Korean trading company again, but this time I'm trading textiles. Ha! steel to textiles lol.

My parents always egged me after college "hey, you graduate from such an expensive school and you can't even find a job, what a failure. Why did you go to college in the first place? Why not just work at McDonalds?"

I told them "I only went to XYZ University because you told me to go. I had a full rides to multiple colleges but YOU told me to take out the loan and go there. Wonderful, no job and heaps of debt, great huh? Look at where I am from listening to you guys. You're right, your son is a bum. No wait, at least bum's don't have debt."

Argument went really south afterwords. I ended up having to pay all of my college loans back and I currently am. Lesson: don't fight people you love over money.


I decided not to take my parents advice all the time. Over the period of 2-3 years of graduating, I realized I'm a grown up and I can/must make decisions for myself. If my parents are going to cut me off, I better take command of my life and do what I need to do. I don't want to rely on them and shouldn't have to. *Sigh its just when they talk to me, they are such traditional Korean's. They always talk to me as if I owe them something.

How fair is life?

It really comes down how you look at it. If you're going to be all depressed and think there is no hope and no way back, you're right. If you sit and sulk and don't do anything about it, you're life WILL be miserable.

After college it's like you were just shot out of a cannon. *BOOM*, GO!.
But where? You're parents aren't telling you, you're friends already have jobs and kicking a**, you are sitting at home, stagnant, wondering what to do.

My advice is... No one knows you, better than yourself. Not your parents, not your cousins, not your best friends, not your professors. You are the one to decide, and you must, it's your life. Since you don't know, I don't know, your parents don't know, your friends don't know....... ... ... .. why not go and find out?

What's there to lose? Go out and make mistakes, learn from them, change, dream, go after newer, bigger, better things, it's human nature.

Sitting and wondering gets you no where. The bordem and anxiety is what got me. Curiosity made me get off the couch and look for things to do.

It's your life, you must exercise your freedom.
Make your own decisions

^Aw I read that whole thing and I can totally relate to traditional Korean parents. My parents claim they're different but they're really not. They say they're not comparing but they compare me to all the kids my age that they know...

I'm still not there yet... Just at my last year of college and will be graduating in June. I still haven't decided what I want to do but it's most likely a year working and volunteering while preparing for more school...

I hate hate hate when my parents compare me to everyone else's son/daughter.

I always used to tell them... I could be JUST like Mike, John, or Daniel... but.........

They all get yong-ddon, they don't have piano, golf, singing and art lessons after class. They don't have to go to Hakwon, they don't get beatings, their parents buy them what they want, and also they don't have any sisters to take care of! They don't have to pick up/drop off their sisters from piano, art, school.

When they used to compare me to other kids, I started to ask... what about you mom? How come you're not home to cook me snacks or dinner like Mike's mom? Mike's mom is so nice, she always asks me if I need anything or if I ate... how come you're not like that? My mom stopped comparing me to other children pretty fast.

That is awesome.


My parents were actually pretty good about not comparing me to other kids, maybe because it was obvious that I just didn't care.

ah, the quarter life crisis that follows completion of undergrad. i do NOT miss that at all. took a year off and goofed around... once i finally got serious about finding a job in my field, it wasn't that long until i found something i liked. years later, i'm with the same company.

Right now jobs are scarce with the economy being in a state of recovery. You can apply for internships or positions specifically targeted for new grads. They're easier to get into, may not pay as well, but at least they get your foot in the door. Does your school hold job fairs? You may still have access to them as a new grad. I found an internship at my school's job fair and did it during my last quarter in college then after graduating I went straight to working full time at the same company without being interviewed.

That was a couple years ago. I learned a lot working there but sometime in the middle I found myself wanting to go back to school to learn more and hopefully get paid more so when the time was right I simply left. Right now I'm trying to earn some professional certificates and am also considering going for a Master's.

i don't know where you live. but from where i'm from.. you better scream out "i want a job" and keep being pushy.

that shows you're really interested and motivated. and they really see that and try to help you sometimes.

i edited my post since then but basically i was saying there are different ways of saying "i want a job" and the way you say it is what makes you stand out among your competition. one way is to articulate and prove to them you have genuine interest. i do agree with you in being persistent, but do not be rude.

well i graduated this year and i'm in graduate school right now full time
i went on to grad school because its necessary for my field
even though i'm in school, i do feel like im somewhere in between a transition period and the real world.
since i'm actually working as an intern (but do everything an employee would) and going to school.
in a matter of two months, i became completely financially independent.
i also moved from one coast to another, where i knew no one at all.
leaving behind my bf, family and friends.
needless to say there is a lot less contact with my friends and being in a LDR sucks.
my friends & i do keep in contact however.
i'm naturally an independent person so this transition hasn't been too difficult for me.
it still hasn't really hit me that i'm "on my own" now.

I think for me the scariest thing is the feeling like I just wasted the past four years of my life on a major I might never really use and every plan I had for myself seems to have faded away. I keep questioning everything I was so sure about and now I just feel lost and uncertain about my future. I never really understood when people would say life after college sucks, but now I really understand it.

I majored in Finance and planned on going to law school, but now I am not really sure about doing that for the rest of my life so I giving myself time to figure it all out. I just graduated this past May and planned to go to Seoul in August, the day before I was supposed to leave I ended up in the hospital with internal bleeding and other stuff (Craziest and most unpredictable moment of my life so far). That whole situation taught me that you have to do what you want with your life because everything changes in an instant and you could be gone the next one.

I'm recovering and planning to go to Seoul in March to teach, travel, and explore my options. I mean I think it is really hard to decide what you are going to do for the rest of your life when there are so many opportunities out there. You have no clue what life will be like 2,5, or even 10 years from now so trying to plan every little detail is going to be stressful. I say try different things out and see what happens. I used to have it all figured out and now at 22 I realize how little I really know so I'm going to give myself the time to explore and discover while making a decent income.

Life after college isn't easy, and it's hard when all your core friends and everything you know suddenly changes upon graduation but you just have to give yourself time to figure it out, meet new people, and find your place in this world.

it was horrible! no one really cares about what you do.

I was focused on school for 16 years of my life (I'm not very smart, but am a hard worker), putting it first without honing any life skills, which made me very dependent on my parents. I'm still learning now...

So I graduated, it was still part of the "boom" period where I live... it was starting to get affected by the recession, but not as bad as in the States. There were so many job postings popping out everyday, yet I couldn't get many interviews because I did not have that much relevant work experience. I was worn out from school, so for the first month or so I didn't worry too much. Then came the daily job searches. It sucked that no one wanted to hire me.... I got a few bites. Got a job offer, but had to turn it down because it was in another city, and like I said, I lack the skills to be dependent.

Finally landed the job where I live (for a tiny firm). It wasn't quite what I studied, but it was relevant to my degree. it was great for the first 3-4 months. Then the big crash happened. At least they didn't lay me off... I'm working part time hours even though i'm FT. (I'm writing this on my "day off" without pay). This is a lot better than some of my friends who still hasn't gotten a job. I need to job hunt, but who's hiring?

I finished college in 3 years (IB credits and a summer course) and decided to finish up my master's as well since it's only 2 years. So I applied and got accepted with a scholarship. Right after graduation, I got married. Went to grad school for a semester and it was pretty depressing. The coursework and all wasn't difficult or anything, I just didn't want to be in school and needed a break. At that time my husband was still a senior in college and he found out he got a job in California. I decided to drop out of grad school and put it on hold and take the spring semester off to spend with family/friends before leaving to CA.

Now I'm in Bakersfield because my husband is a petroleum engineer and I'm a housewife. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way because it works out so well for both me and my husband. When I was in grad school and he was a senior, it was like we were more roommates than married. We didn't have much time to spend together because of homework, exams, studying and it was not that fun. We would wake up at different hours and not be able to eat together because we would come home at different times too. I love having this time to myself and spending time doing what I enjoy and being able to take care of the husband. If I want to work again, I could get a job because it is in demand (speech language pathology). I have no plans of going back to get my masters (which is required) although the adults are all saying I should. We'll see...

lets see, I first graduated from uni back in 2000 (I know I'm OOOOOLD), we don't do colleges so much in australia, it's uni for most of us. I volunteered for the Olympics in sydney so did that for 3 months, then scrounged around for a laser development engineering job which I had for a year before the tech crash so got made redundant. Went back to uni and did a masters for 2 and a half years, had an absolute ball with the friends I made then. Did some teaching and tutoring jobs for a year waiting for my masters to get marked at the end, then got another laser development engineering job for 3 years. Got sick of that, quit and moved to england where I am now, got yet another laser development engineering job here and have been here for a year already. Looking to stick it out for another 3 years here and see where opportunities take me.

As for the friends back home, we're really close and hang out a fair bit. In uni we shared an office so we hung out day in day out. After we graduated it was more like once every 1-2 months.

As for life in general, it's been a good ride. Sure things could have been different if I'd studied harder, I was a really bad bookworm, but then I'd still be back home in Australia instead of in England staring at all the travel opportunities in Europe for the next 3 years at least.

Ahhh, this thread made me realize that when I graduate.. I won't be or will rarely see my friends from Uni. As most of them live 6+ hours away from me. =( I already miss the ones that have graduated and live 1hr away .__.

I like this thread. It was interesting to read everyone's transition.

I've been in the "real world" for a little over a year now. I think I was pretty lucky. During the fall of my senior year, I applied to a bunch of companies looking for job. Before Spring semester even started, I landed a job already. Due to that, I didn't have to stress my final semester & just focused on a great final semester.

I took a month off after graduation before starting work. During that time, I continued to live out the lease of my college apartment & just enjoy the summer days. Oh yea, I also used that time to find a new apartment in the new city I would be living in & bought a car. Yea...the salary + bonus on the offer letter really made me splurge. NOT a good idea.

Finally when I started working, I realized I had to pay for an entire apartment's rent on my own, including all utilities & internet. Before, I always shared the expense so it didn't seem like a lot. But everything adds up when you're on your own. Money management was probably the biggest thing I had to deal with.

I also found myself getting bored a lot in the evenings with nothing to do. No homework, no friends to have dinner with, etc. So I picked up a few new hobbies (piano, dramas, pet, etc.). Then on weekends, thanks to social networking sites, I was able to keep in touch with my friends & went back to visit the college several times.

About 9 months later, I purchased a home. By then, I was doing much better with money management & had saved enough for down payment + more.

Now, living in a house...things have gotten much better. I purchased it alone...but for some reason, utilities have all gotten cheaper. I think it's because some of the appliances are gas, whereas at my first post-grad apt, everything was electric. The house is not as fancy but it feels more like home. So far, things have been pretty good for me & I feel very lucky. Even better, this past year...my bf finally graduated & got a job in the same city as me.

If I didn't have a job right after college though, I think I would go into panic-mode. I'm really grateful for everything I've gotten. Now if only my parents would stop calling me for money all the time....that is my next goal to resolve.

Career:
graduating from college, i got a job pretty quickly because of my work experience but i quit few months later. After graduation I have worked for many companies (mostly as an independent contractor) and everytime I quit or get laid off or contract expire, another job is around the corner. The recession didn't hitting me hard bc I have enough experience related to my career to carry myself through. If worse case scenario, I would get a paycut with the same career with another company. My philosophy in life is, if you got the skills, you will never be unemployed.

Friendship:
the transition was still the same, i was alone in college, and at work im still alone; i dont socialize much because its hard to start up a long lasting conversation ya know especially with people at work, they seem so busy with their work? college was worse lmaooo for me anyway, go to class-> library do homework-> go back home. I lost most of my friends since I have few friends to start with due to my lack of social interaction, after college never heard from them again lol it seems like everyone is busy with their own life. aiyaaaa i guess im a loner in this life =[ but im willing to change, just need someone to lead the way =___=; need some divine guidance!!!!

This person and I are alike. I applied to 50+ jobs and finally got one (but the pay sucks). Now I'm working on a real estate license and also a second degree.

It horrible, after graduation..i have nowhere to go..so hard to find a job w/o experiences..im starting to get discourage and feel really lost.

I recently graduated, but I can't really do anything with my degree so I am trying to go back to school to get a 2nd degree.

I secured a job two months before my final exam. Pretty much started working the next Monday. Transition was lessened due to the fact that I was already living by myself.

Only thing that changes is you have more money to do things and you will meet a new circle of people to associate with.

I would say the biggest changes come a few years into your career when your stock increases significantly.

I'm glad to see this topic. I can feel that I'm not the only one who have problems adjusting to life after college. After graduated spring last year, I went to NY to look for jobs, since I had a little working experience, I started off with internships. I had fun and learned so much on the two internships that I took in NY, and I had great experiences meeting new people and adjusting to life in NY. I wouldn't trade that experience with anything in the world.

Until April this year, I decided it's time for me to come back to my country and help my parents with their business. Now I realized it wasn't the vision that I had when I was still in US. Living with my parents after 11 years (middle school - college) away from them is not the same with what I used to have when I was little. I have live by their rules and the little freedom and privacy. I'm leaving to China early next year to learn some Chinese like what my parents suggested and I really want to be financially independent from my parents as soon as possible. I might look for a job that will support me away from my country or my hometown for the least.

As for my social life, I thank the internet greatly for their help. I am still able to be in touch with my college friends, but it really sucks knowing that some of them are getting a great job in US, going to grad school, and even starting up a business. Mean while, I am still confused and lost on what want to do with my life. I think I just need to put my shoes out the door and try any opportunity that I have.