For Fresh Grads: Surviving the Outside World

Congratulations, fresh grad!

Hooray for the celebrations and treats after graduating in college - party in Tomas Morato, shopping in your favorite Ayala Mall, and going out of town with your closest friends. I understand you are still ecstatic with all the happenings and events, but you know that after a few weeks or months, you’ve got to wake up and go out of the bubble.

If you are someone who doesn’t need to go to work yet for some reasons like your family can sustain your living expenses, not being pressured to earn a living, then you can rest for now and chill as much as you want. But for those who need to start working ASAP and seem to be lost, nervous and scared, this is for you:

• Calm down. Before you start retaliating and blabbering that adulting is so hard, try to calm down and observe things. You will learn so much about life outside the academe and realize how much (or less) you can do in this world. This time, your tasks and responsibilities are not for your classes, professors, and school, but for your family and yourself.

• Enjoy the process. Job applications, interviews, endless waiting for the callback, getting employed for the first time, meeting your first-ever workmates, having some thoughts on resigning after a few weeks - enjoy all of it even if there are times you are about to break down. You’d get to know yourself better especially on how you handle pressure and changes. With all the things that are happening and going to happen, I must say you should fasten your seats and enjoy the ride.

• Think of your future. Ever since a kid, you’ve been asked a lot of times what do you want to become when you grow up. In high school, others want to know (including yourself) what course you are going to take. For sure in college nearing graduation, you answered the question “So what’s your plan after?” couple of hundred of times. You came to the point where you just want to answer “I don’t know” because you are so tired and annoyed. But surprise! In job applications, you will be answering “How do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?” and other similar questions. But actually, you need to think about your plans and start acting on it sooner or later. It’s okay to be lost from time to time as self-discovery is a process. So don’t pressure yourself, okay?

• Start (or continue) saving money. Just a practical reminder to each of us to save money. It’s not every day that you can rely to your parents or guardians for extra cash. Moreover, if you have plans like taking post grad and quite expensive vacations, you need to have your own money. If you think you are already financially ready and mentally prepared, you might also consider getting insurance and investment for your retirement or future use. Is it too much? Not really. You just don’t want to burden your future self or future kids on how you will be able to survive when you’re too old and weak to work.

• Believe in yourself. This new ride for you might be a crazy and draggy one. But don’t forget to keep the faith and your hopes up. Just like how you made it in college, you’d also be fine, even if stressed, in the “outside world”. Remember that the most important person to trust you is you, yourself. There are times where you doubt your skills and abilities, but keep on working to be the best version of yourself and never stop trying, and soon the world will witness your greatness.