Every college student knows the feeling when someone asks, “So are you ready for the real world?!” Our stomachs drop, we obtain a blank stare on our face, and stutter with the word ummm…
College students tend to focus on their life, as it is now, and although we have a general long-term plan, we are not ready to jump into the real world of a five-day job and having to pay bills. The work load in college may be extreme in our eyes at the time, but we enjoy living with our friends and being able to kick back whenever. The thought is scary, to look at our parents or older siblings and realize that we are moving quickly through college and almost hitting that point of graduating and being in “the real world”.
As college students we get nervous for what our future holds because we are so used to the routine of school and classes, since we have been doing it for over 15 years. Thinking that we are now going to apply everything we have learned and be put in charge of certain measures within a company or teaching our future is just a weird concept.
Many college students are used to staying out late with their friends, on the weekends, or being able to relax and have a movie/wine night, during the week, when their work load is not in full swing. Although many jobs that college students receive when they graduate, allow for free time at night, they make us more exhausted because of the strenuous work that has to be completed from 8am-5pm. For those college students who have never had an 8am, they are not used to being ready to be functional until 10am or even 11am. The thought of waking up at or before 7am scares many.
Transitioning from the college phase to the real world phase of life is definitely frightening, especially for those who haven’t had experience in a real world job or waking up for their job. Many students have an on campus job or restaurant job, which give off completely different vibes and requirements of working, then do jobs based on our majors.
Although it is frightening, it is also exciting that we are finally getting the chance to apply everything that we have worked for throughout our years of schooling. And there are still opportunities to live with our friends, instead of returning home once we graduate. We will also have a steady paycheck that will allow us to pay for our living expenses and we might even have some money to spare.
So yes, although college students think jumping into the real world is scary and they do not want to put it in their everyday thoughts, it is important to realize that it is something we just have to accept and that it will be a change, but a change that allows us to experience another, more professional aspect of the world outside of schooling.
