Life Lessons After Graduation Day
Advice for recent graduates based on the self-reflection and wisdom of a fellow recent grad.
The summer after graduation ended quickly when I accepted an entry-level position with a nationally syndicated gossip celebrity news website. On my first day I sorted t-shirts into boxes, made a Starbucks run and stocked snacks in the kitchen. Months later, I got a raise, a promotion and my own desk. I was so proud that my degree from a top university yielded a covetable job and more money than I had ever made before. So, why was I filled with anxiety?
The newsroom environment was stressful, with soul crushing challenges and fancy rewards. Yes, there were extravagant holiday parties and a $200 gift card for Christmas, but my world felt upside down. It was hard to admit that the job wasn’t a good fit for me, but in doing so, I learned a lot about myself. I acknowledged feeling lost. I had to move back home as my savings account was zilch. I wasted time studying for the GRE without a solid plan. I pressured myself trying to move at a pace I thought was expected. But now that I am in my late 20s, I am finding my way and realizing that I worried too much about the unknown.
To all the Mighty Bruins who just graduated, you are not alone. Here are some post-college tips I learned when transitioning into the real world:
Accept feeling lost right now.
The post-college uncertainty is truly scary. College made you think it was going to “figure things out for you” ahead of time and that repetitive school structure was comforting. You may have typed in Google search “how to stop feeling lost after college” throughout the day and come across a barrage of articles that repeat the same thing. Here’s some advice. There’s no answer to feeling lost. It’s totally normal. Everyone’s experience is different and locking yourself in your room to break down in tears thanks to those post-college feels won’t make your situation any better. Feeling lost right now will help you realize what to start crossing off your list of things you don’t want for your future. You will try new things and fail at some, and that’s OK. You are already better off than you think. You graduated from UCLA.
Be patient.
Don’t start comparing yourself with friends who got hired a couple weeks before graduation or sent you an invitation via Facebook messenger to be part of their wedding celebration. It’s easy to fall in that trap and forget where you are in the early stages of your professional career. Instead of being upset about the stars not aligning how you envisioned after graduation, find hobbies that interest you. Practice mindfulness and set intentions before the day starts. Now that you have weekends to look forward to, take advantage of the free time you never truly embraced when you were a student. The adulting transition will take time to adjust, so there’s no need to rush into things. Continue growing and learning from the company that made the right choice to hire you after college. Being patient will allow you to achieve goals way faster than you think.
Reach out to your alumni association.
You may not remember attending student orientation over the summer and most likely forgot that the James West Alumni Center is located at the heart of UCLA campus. Use this time to reconnect with other Bruins around the world and continue to grow your networking circle. Visit the UCLA Alumni website and find out if there are any local networks in your area that you can join. Remember, UCLA provided you with the academic tools and professional guidance needed to land your first job out of college. Contact alumni though UCLA ONE and set up a meeting to learn more about their experiences as entry-level professionals and how they navigated through the trials of landing a successful promotion with their employers. You never know who you might meet.
Surround yourself with mentors.
Mentors are role models and have a lot more to offer than you think. They have gone through career changes and the post-college to adulthood transition, although some are also still trying to figure out their next step in life. Now that you graduated, don’t forget to still keep in touch with the counselors, advisors, professors and previous supervisors who helped you during your academic journey. Mentors will not only inspire you to be the best version of yourself, but provide you with wisdom that sometimes close family members and friends can’t speak to. Choose to be around successful and like-minded people. Don’t navigate your life by yourself with little or no guidance. You will need it and your future self will thank you.
If you don’t need it, don’t buy it.
As a student, you probably don’t remember budgeting your money. You may have depended on your parents to pay your tuition or financial aid and scholarships to ease the burden. You may have even had family members who would come together to hand you a check with most of your college expenses paid. It’s the first of the month and you are running short on cash. Why? Because your bank statement shows your entire paycheck went towards materialistic possessions. Now that you left the college nesting ground, focus on things that have a purpose investing for; buying an economy car, signing up for a fitness membership, saving up for a backpacking trip to Europe, separating an emergency fund, saving for retirement. Start living like a minimalist and spend on quality versus quantity. Determine what’s important, what is a necessity and live within your means.
Travel abroad... solo.
Whether you studied abroad or didn’t, open an additional savings account and call it “travel.” Set aside extra money left from your paycheck at the end of the month and throw it in your travel fund. Many of you will turn 25 in the next few years and what a better way to celebrate this quarter-life crisis than overseas to meet new people, learn about new cultures and be totally independent. Traveling solo will give you a chance to discover your direction in life and challenge you in the most uncomfortable situations, like having the courage to talk to locals. You will cross paths with other travelers from around the world who are going through the same thing you are. When you are traveling alone, you don’t have to worry about coordinating other people’s schedules and spending time doing what they want to do. Leave your comfort zone and see the world. Be brave and think of this as a new project outside of work to focus on. It’s one of the best impulse gifts you could ever invest in.
Learn to appreciate.
This is probably one of the most valuable and important life lessons to lock in during your post-college soul-searching expedition. Don’t take things for granted and take a moment to stop what you are doing and look at what’s around you. As a student, you were motivated to race to the finish line that you didn’t have time to process all the little things your family and or friends did for you, like sending you care packages or packing up holiday leftovers to take with you hoping it would last for the entire quarter. Now that you have more time for yourself and don’t have to worry about that tormenting 35-page research paper or study for finals, spend time thinking about how to thank those significant people; parents, guardians, siblings, friends, grandparents, aunts and uncles that supported you during your college years.
Stay true to yourself.
When you give into the importance of staying true to yourself, there becomes less pressure to impress people. As your kindness starts to rise to the surface, you can distinguish your strengths and your weaknesses, being in the moment begins to change the way you relate to life. Maybe you are focused on getting a promotion at work or trying to work through some personal issues with family or significant other. Whatever the case may be, circle back to your authentic self and let that flourish out in the open. If some friendships start to fall apart, don’t blame yourself. You are on different paths and this is a time to focus on yourself. When you feel the need to change who you truly are because of the person you recently started dating, do yourself a favor and end it before it trails further into the future. Stay focused on your goals, be confident and don’t let anyone of anything influence you. Remember, you are here to write your own story and celebrate a new chapter waiting to be told.
After years of going through this uneasy post-college transition, you will surprise yourself with how much you’ve accomplished a year into your career. Achieving higher education, applying to jobs, interviewing with employers, meeting other people outside of your circle are all accomplishments. Even though it feels like getting your degree from UCLA didn’t really “teach you anything,” it really did. It taught you to be a fierce Bruin, pull that first all-nighter, schedule time in between to meet with faculty and network with other alumni. You realized that you didn’t want to be a poor struggling college student for the rest of your life, so you worked hard and finally graduated. At 27, I am still learning and growing daily. Everyone does, even the most powerful leaders. Disconnect from social media, call your mom and tell her you love her, plan a road trip somewhere you’ve never been to and start reading books that interest you (not what college told you to read). Reach out to other Bruins in your network and ask questions. Save up for that next big expensive purchase that will feed your soul and if you can, start creating a Google document listing all the places you want to see in the world. Bring magic in everything you do, everything you say and everyone you meet in your life. UCLA will always have your back. You are a Bruin for life. Remember that.