By Valencia • 5 Comments
You might look forward to graduating college and starting your adult life. But post-grad life might be different from what you think. Life and career dreams don’t always go according to plan. It’s good to be optimistic about the future, but there is a downside to post-grad life.
Even if you have a good relationship with your parents, they might give you the boot after you graduate college and find a job. They might look forward to being empty-nesters and turning your bedroom into a gym, home office, walk-in closet or man cave. Don't take it personal. Just prepare for the possibility of being on your own sooner than you anticipate.
Then again, maybe you're the one who wants to move out sooner rather than later. You might search for a roommate and find an affordable place that's close to your job. This is a good plan, until you realize that you hate your apartment or living with a roommate. But unfortunately, your entry-level salary makes it difficult to live on your own.
After getting your own place and not having to deal with your parents’ rules, you might imagine yourself going to work and then hanging out three or four nights a week with your friends. However, work life is different from college life. Between work deadlines, a demanding boss and getting up early every morning, you might be too tired to hang out with your friends.
After you’re offered a job, you might leap for joy upon learning how much you’re earning. But you might underestimate the amount you’ll pay in state and federal income taxes. And you might forget to take into consideration other payroll deductions, such as health insurance, 401(k) contributions, disability, dental, etc. So when you receive your first paycheck, you might be shocked by how little you're bringing home.
You thought you knew what you wanted to do while in college. But after graduating and finding a job, you come to the sad realization that you hate your job and you can't imagine yourself working in this field for the next 30 years. Some college grads find themselves in a similar situation and have to come up with a plan B.
Finding a healthy work-life balance can be challenging, especially if your job is demanding and your boss requires a lot from you. Before you know it, you might eat, sleep and breathe work. If you talk with your boss about scaling back, he might not like the news, and a work-life balance might affect promotions and raises.
Being an adult seems glamorous when you're living under your parents’ roof. But you might have an epiphany once you leave college, get a job and start paying bills: this is your life and it's never going to change. This isn't a bad thing if you're okay with a traditional life. But if you want freedom and flexibility, you might hate the idea of being a slave to a desk and time clock for the next 30 or 40 years.
Post-grad life can be a wakeup call, and unfortunately, your life may not turn out as planned. But even if you’re thrown a curveball, it’s important to make the best out of the situation. What are other downsides to post-grad life?