Figuring Out Life After College - One Year Later

Sitting down to write my first ever blog post, in my parents backyard, unemployed, is humbling to say the least. It also feels very Gen Z/Millennial of me. I can never quite figure out which one I’m in, considering every article I’ve read qualifies those of us born in 1996 in a different category. A little over a month ago, I celebrated one year of being a college graduate! Life should be great, right? A hard-working woman, independent and on her own at 22! Nope. You see, a month ago, I also celebrated my decision to quit my job, my full-time, big girl, “I can do it on my own” job. I had also just found out my boyfriend and I were unable to renew our apartment lease and would have to fork over a fun $3,800 to stay in our wonderful city of Philadelphia. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a big deal if my “big girl” job wasn’t considered freelance and I didn’t owe $3000 in taxes the month before or if half of all of my paychecks were going to the $650 a month I owed in student loans. The only option left was for us to move an hour and a half outside of the city, back in with my mom and dad.

So that brings us to now. I don’t want this to seem like one long complaint. Although, I have to admit it feels pretty damn great to write all this out, even if no one, probably not even my mom will ever read it. I want this to read as advice, maybe even to just myself. As I sit here, on my parents porch, next to my also unemployed boyfriend (yes we are now both living with my parents and my brother in my childhood bedroom, in a house with only one shower), I feel a sense of terrifying excitement about what’s to come. As I get ready to turn 23 in a few short months, I realize I have a whole life ahead of me. A life of experiences and heartbreak and new jobs and anxiety and everything else in between.

Temple University, Lew Klein School of Media and Communication Graduation May 2018

Going into the world of media and videography, I knew I would probably never experience true job stability, but isn’t that what life is about? Taking risks on things that you love? That you’re passionate about? And all of the ups and downs along the way? And who knows if this is what I’ll be passionate about forever? I may find a hobby 5 years down the road that speaks to me and sparks a whole new journey. The point of this stream of consciousness is, don’t worry so much. Enjoy the present. I’m not saying everything is breezy and if you just relax those bills you have will pay themselves, but I am saying that it’s ok to not have everything figured out right this second. If you’re like me, you’re constantly thinking about what to do next or harping over what you’ve done in the past that you wish you could go back and change, but in reality that won’t fix anything. The only thing that will help is focusing on right now. What can I do right now? What do I love right now? How can I push myself forward right now? How can I enjoy the short life I have, right now?

If you’ve gotten this far, I truly applaud you. I’m not sure if I’ll even go back and read this jumbled mess. A year out of college I have learned to slow down and appreciate life, because there have been exciting moments that pass me by and when I look back all I remember is the anxiety I had about something about work or the worry I felt over finding a job. Only to realize that when I look back, everything turned out ok, and if I didn’t, I figured it out. I have no idea where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing 5 years from now, but I know that whatever comes up, I will be ok.

If you are about to graduate college or just starting or are in your 40’s and still don’t know what you want to be when you grow up, don’t let this worry you. Maybe you have life figured out and that’s amazing! Enjoy every single second of this silly thing we call life. And for those us who don’t, please, for the love of God, enjoy every single second of the mess you’re trying to figure out, because the constant worry and anxiety won’t solve anything. You’ve got this.