Doomsday 2011: College Graduation

In seven weeks, I will graduate from college, and I am scared shitless. Currently, there are no job prospects after my walk across the stage, though not for lack of trying. At some point, my campus job will kick me out, and then I will truly be unemployed, hopeless and alone. Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic, but many graduating seniors are in the same boat. As graduation nears, the list of fears we have grows by the day.

Chitose Suzuki, AP

As Destiny’s Child once crooned, it’s all about those bills, bills, bills. It’s generally recognized that the largest benefit to employment is a paycheck, and many of us haven’t yet figured out what we’ll do without one. For many people, moving back in with their parents is a viable option, though some fear that choice far more than the job hunt. Student loans will eventually kick in, so most of us won’t really own our paychecks for the first few years anyway. The cost of living will generally increase after moving away from college towns, and rent for any apartment will surely go up from the bare bones amount you’ve been paying to live with five people and three cats.

All fears won’t go out the window once you find employment, either. You might find yourself wondering, “What if I’m not a good fit for my job? What if the job I get isn’t applicable to my major? Were the last four years in vain?” Unemployment doesn’t have to be an option, since the local Subway is always hiring, but it’s understandable to want a grown up job, dammit. A place where you’re washing dishes won’t care that that you can create a dynamite PR campaign to increase business, as long as the silverware is sparkling in time for the dinner rush. Those who have found jobs can’t be too careful, either. Many recently hired grads before the recession were probably living on cloud nine until they showed up to pink slips one day. College has been a safety net of which there is no equivalent in the working world. As we get older, we’ll no longer be the breaths of fresh air in the office, or the most technologically savvy. With leaving college comes the realization of our own mortality, that there are no more “do overs.”

Perhaps every senior’s greatest fear, full-time job secured yet or not, is how our social lives will change. People we’ve leaned on for years will suddenly be thousands of miles away, and we’ll all make new friends and eventually be in touch less and less. It will no longer be socially acceptable to drink the majority of the nights in a week, and we’ll be hard pressed to find dollar beers even at the best happy hours. Apparently, as you grow older, your ability to recover suffers, which is more depressing news than the current unemployment statistics. Showing up to work unshowered in sweatpants will likely get you fired, and nodding off during a meeting is a little different than taking a nap in the back of a lecture hall. Personally, I’ll miss tailgating, staying up until 2 a.m. watching freaky TLC documentaries, student discounts, spring break, having a month off during the winter, and being constantly surrounded by friends. 

Of course there are a few things graduating seniors look forward to, or at least are excited about leaving behind. As one of my professors was explaining yesterday, Sunday nights in the real world are no longer filled with crammed readings and the doom of unfinished homework. Besides the money for shower and wedding gifts, it will be fun to be in attendance when people start getting hitched (open bar?) and having kids (as long as I can give them back.)

Gone will be the days of choosing between buying gas or groceries, and someday we won’t be terrified to look at our bank account balances. A certain amount of freedom will come with no longer being a college student, and if nothing else, your car insurance rates will likely go down. A certain sense of accomplishment has to come with doing laundry before you absolutely have to, and perhaps we can even look forward to the day we can put away even a small amount of income towards retirement.

Simply put, the greatest fear of graduating is the fear of the unknown. We’ve been in school now for over 16 years, and even if you’ve worked full-time over summer breaks, none of us are 100% prepared for the transition to being working adults. It’s exhilarating and exhausting and wonderful and frightening, but it’s happening, and it’s happening soon. Best of luck to all of my fellow grads! Oh, and if you’re reading this and are currently hiring for well, anything — get in touch.

What are you scared of that I didn’t mention? Those who survived the transition post-college, what advice do you have?