How Caitlyn C's It

Graduating college is on the list of top 10 worst days of my life.

Even though I’m known as a dramatic girl, this is pretty much true for all my friends and people I’ve spoken to. I guess those fifth years were onto something…

Even though I wish I could stay in college forever, I can’t and I didn’t. I did my time, graduated in four years and now I get to wake up to a framed sheet of paper that proves I did it. Now what?

Well I’ll tell you, it’s very weird. Not going to back to school in August has been a huge adjustment. Think about it. You’ve been in back-to-school mode since you started kindergarten and all of a sudden at 21/22–for a lot of us–that’s all done. Unless you want to cough up a fortune to go to grad school, you’ll be in a similar boat to me.

A lot of people talk about post-grad life, but it is so different for everyone. Your experience is unique to your situation, your job, your industry, your living state, your attitude, everything. But I will say there are a few universal truths that I would’ve like to hear before I graduated college and here are those for you.

1. You won’t see your college friends right away

Believe me, I’ve begged my friends to come see me, but the truth is everyone is busy and everyone is on opposite schedules. I have unemployed friends who are traveling the world, I have friends who are in grad school and I have friends who are working like me, but with stricter hours.

It’s hard to not wake up and be a 5-minute walk from your besties and quite honestly it’s one of the hardest parts about graduating. I miss my friends so much and it’s very weird to not be able to see them.

2. people don’t care about friend groups

Making friends in you early 20s is kind of amazing because everyone else is looking for friends too! I can almost equate it to freshman year where you had this weird, foreign desire to befriend anyone within a 10-foot radius.

While I do miss my friends, I’ve already met so many new ones and in very weird ways. In college, your friends were based on the groups you hung out with. In post-grad, you can meet a group on Facebook, at the gym or even on a friend dating app.

The best part is, no one gives a crap about being a set “friend group.” In my experience people aren’t looking to exclude people based on who they’re friends with. Sometimes you hang out as a group, sometimes you hang out with some of those friends and their friends and sometimes you hang out with one person alone. It’s so refreshing to be able to constantly meet new people and not have to worry about being excluded from plans. Because with a 9-5, who has time for that?

3. Don’t expect to have best friends immediately

In the same vein, these new “friends” are exactly that. New.

Don’t expect to have the same level of friendship you had with your college roommate that you will with your new friend from work. It’s a different kind of friendship and its one that is more of a slow grower.

4. Making friends is expensive

Chances are, you will not be making six figures in your first job. So with that is being broke again, but being broke in a city where some people are not broke can be tough.

This is especially annoying since making friends often requires going out for coffee, drinks or food to start making those bonds. So what I’ve found is try to limit how many days you go out to get food or drinks or maybe even suggest different ways of hanging out like a wine night in or a walk.

5. FOMO is not that bad (if you stay off social media)

Thankfully for me, pretty much all my close friends graduated. But I can’t lie, it’s a bit hard to see some girls I follow still at Penn State, having fun with no responsibilities. And while yes I do wish my Thursday night was spent at Doggie’s with an iced coffee instead of doing laundry, it’s something you just can’t get hung up on. They are living the life you got to live and if you force yourself to wallow in the feeling, just shut off your phone.

Side note: the Whiteout game was indeed tough this year and I’m not sure it’ll ever get easier.

6. Making money doing what you studied in college is amazing

In college, you had to work so hard and long hours to get a certain grade. In post-grad, you work, get it done, make friends with co-workers and GET PAID.

I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to get paid for something you love doing. I’m a little lucky in the sense my first job post-grad is incredible, but not all first jobs are.

A mentor of mine told me that once you get one job, you will get more. So even if you’re first job isn’t what you dreamed of, tough it out and try to look at it like a learning experience to take into a better job later on.

7. Some people will live in NYC, some people will live in Missouri, it doesn’t really matter

It’s important to live in a clean, healthy, non-toxic environment, but that doesn’t mean your life has to suck if you’re living somewhere “boring.”

Again, I’m lucky that my job brought me to Charleston, but there are plenty of negatives about being in a big, glamorized city. For one, my rent downtown Charleston is so high it makes me sick.

If you aren’t living in a big city or the place you want right after graduation, that’s OK. If anything, it gives you something to strive for and living somewhere different will offer unique perspectives about that city’s culture and way of life.

8. Save and invest right away

Nothing is more painful than putting away money that you know you won’t see until much, much later in life. But if you start saving and investing your money now as a 22-year old fresh out of college, even if it’s just a little, future you will be SO happy you did.

If you want to learn how to get started, I follow Erin Confortini on TikTok and subscribe to her newsletter for quick saving, investing and budgeting tips for young adults. (and she’s from Pittsburgh so that means she’s cool)

9. being comfortable being alone is a superpower

This is just an observation and not a skill I have quite yet. It’s hard going from seeing your besties everyday to sometimes seeing no one, especially if you work remotely.

Being comfortable being alone whether that’s throughout the day, going for a walk or going out to dinner is a skill that takes time to learn, but I’m finding that post-grad individuals who find comfort in themselves are happier and better understand what they’re looking for out of life.

10. you have all the free will in the world

Your mom never let you get a tattoo? Get one.

Your apartment in college didn’t allow cats? Get one.

You want to start a band? Do it.

Post-grad doesn’t have to be the end of fun, if anything, it’s the start of a life built by your choices. You get to decide where you go, who you talk to, what you eat, what you buy and how you spend your time. Your future and who you become is entirely up to you after you graduate college.

While it’s slightly terrifying, there is nothing more exhilarating or exciting than the idea that your future is in your hands now and no one can tell you how to shape it.