It feels like all of a sudden out of no where time passes you by and before you know it your older and getting ready to face the world on your own. I graduated from college after a long but a quiet fast four years at Endicott College. It is crazy to think back to my first day of college now because it feels like forever ago and looking back at the photos my friends and I look like babies. However, at the same time though it feels like it was almost yesterday that I was just beginning my journey through college. Now I'm here graduated, turned 22, and out in the real world ready to make something of myself. I just didn't realize how different I would personally feel along with all the changes after graduating and turning another year older.
1. You Graduated From College.
I graduated from college this year and turned 22 this summer, it is a lot of change for just one year. Not only are you just another year older, but now you are thrown into the real world as well without the safety net of your school to protect you.
2. You Either Turned 22 in College or Just Did After You Graduated.
You are either coming out of college already 22 and getting ready to turn 23 or you are on your way to feeling 22. I turned 22 at the end of August and people always ask you if you feel older or any different. I can honestly say I never really felt any different until this year. I don't know if it because so many things are changing or if I'm just changing. I'm getting older and I'm starting to feel it now.
3. It's Time To Actually Get Your Life Together.
You mean I can't just watch Netflix anymore? What happened to the good old days were I could just lay around in sweatpants and binge watch my favorite Netflix series. Now that I graduated its actually time to be serious and get my life together. There's no time to just lay around when everything costs something in our lives.
4. You Need A Job in Your Career.
You no longer just want to go back to that retail job or summer gig you had going for the past 4 years of your life. It's time to get a real job. You graduated with a degree in something you were hopefully interested in for a reason. It is time to put it to use. Even if you can't get a job in your career right away it's probably about time to get something at least full-time Monday through Friday for the meantime.
5. You'll Now Be Working For The Rest of Your Life.
This statement kind of bothers me to be honest. I hate the idea that all we really do in life is work hard to just die in the end. I know that is a little morbid, but I don't know. I think working hard is empowering and it gets you things you want in life. However, I don't believe that life should be all about working. I think life was meant to be enjoyed surrounded by the people you love.
6. Your Body Suddenly Changes.
Around the time when I was turning 22 and had graduated college I could physically feel my body changing. Maybe not as drastically as the photo above, but I definitely feel a difference. I feel like my metabolism has slowed since I graduated and I'm not trying to be dramatic. But I do. I feel like when I look in the mirror now you can see that I'm becoming more of a woman now than I was still in college.
7. You're Either Still Living With Your Parents or Trying to Move Out.
You're in that stage of your life now when you probably don't have enough money to quiet move out of your parents house yet, but you are itching to move out. Moving back home after college is definitely a smart idea until you can pay off your student loans and make enough money to be able to successfully live on your own. However, moving back home after living with friends at college for four long years is a weird adjustment.
8. It Now Feels Weird to Go Back to Visit College Parties.
A lot of people have friends that are now seniors in college, but just the thought of going back and hanging out a college party now sounds so weird. We are at that stage of our lives were it isn't weird because we can still be in undergraduate or graduate school. Once we are in the real world though and not in any type of school anymore it is a weird thought. We are so much older than the new freshmen that are attending our schools now.
9. You're Staring at You're Future Face To Face.
This is it. Finally the moment when you are facing your future face-to-face. There is no way to prevent this. Once you enter the real world you are faced with so many life changing decisions and you thought college was one of the biggest decisions of your life. Well think again. Life in general is a huge decision. However, nothing is permanent you can always change things in your life that make you unhappy.
10. You're in That Unknown Time of Your Life.
You may not know what is going to come to you and you may be afraid of the changes ahead. Good things are to come though and you should embrace every scary and excited moment that takes you there!
