The Best and Worst Parts of Post-Grad













Today I'm super excited to bring you all my first collab post! I got together with a bunch of fabulous bloggers to talk to you all about our experiences since graduating college. All of us have graduated within the last two years, and already had ups and downs in that short time. This post goes out to everyone that graduated this year, or last, or before that; to all of us in our 20-something years trying to be young and old at the same time. Hopefully this post will help you realize that you're not alone if things are rough right now, and give you hope for all the great things that can come during such a big change in your life!

So my major was almost all girls (yay women in science!) but I promise you this isn't all of us. Although this is probably at least half. It's a good thing we all liked each other because we had almost every class together!

Kaycie from Love, Kaycie:
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far? 
I would say the best part of post-grad, other than the obvious no homework (WOO), has been having more time to do things I like. When I was in school, I was always stressed with homework and classes, and I never took time to do things that made me feel renewed and relaxed like painting or going to the beach, so having time to do those things has definitely brought my anxiety down and been awesome!

What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far?
Being away from everyone who I saw every day. Even though I only had a handful of close friends my last couple years, it was so nice to be able to be around a whole bunch of people when I wanted to be! I loved the community of living on a college campus! 


Elizabeth from Up In The Loft:  
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far?
The best part of post-grad if finding independence and having the freedom to seize opportunities without the burden of "when I graduate" holding me back. If I want to apply for jobs, I can do it. If I want to buy a house or a car, I can do it. I really enjoy planning for my future and feeling like it starts now, instead of "after graduation."

What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far?
The worst part of post grad for me is two parts: 1. Sometimes I look back at all the fun I had in college and I miss it because I know I will never have that time again. I recently went back to grad school and it is just so different. Not at all like undergrad. I enjoyed being a student so much and I miss that daily lifestyle a lot. I still live in the city I went to college in, so I get really nostalgic and even sad sometimes thinking about the loss of that time in my life. The other part is constantly wondering how people balance the amount of debt our generation tends to accrue with saving for purchases or for retirement. I'm like wait. How do normal people do this?! Student loans and car loans and rent or house payments and credit card debt and just so many other bills that come along with adulting...I wonder a lot of the time when I will get to the point where I can enjoy the money I make with the degree I worked so hard for. That to me is hard.


Chelsie from Life With Rosie:
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far? 
BEING FREE OF HOMEWORK! But seriously, not having hours of homework to fill my hours at night and being able to pursue my passions and hobbies has made my life so joyful! I can read books I want to read, I can binge watch Netflix and I can blog to my little hearts content.

What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far?
Realizing that my degree wasn't entirely what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. As much as I love teaching and as great as my student teaching experience was, I found that I loved my students but didn't love the politics and didn't want to be surrounded by the craziness of public school drama. It was scary and depressing to admit to myself that I didn't want to do any teaching after working for 5 years to get my degree, but once I did and realized that I could something else with my life (blogging) things started to look up again!  


Kelsey from Just a Friend Named K:  
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far?  
The best part of post-grad is how exciting life seems! It is like the world opened up its doors and is calling for you to go. I personally had a job lined up out of state by the time that graduation came, so I think planning for that only intensified the excitement. How wonderful it feels to have accomplished something and to be able to choose where to go next because of your completed training! 

What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far? 
The worst part of post-grad is how much everything realistically costs. Even though I am good at saving and managing my money, I thought that graduating would result in a high paying job. Reality hits when loans set in and you begin a career at the bottom of the food chain. It is even more difficult if you try to add graduate classes to the mix.


Shannon from Shanndelier:  
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far?
It sounds cliché, but I think the best part really has been not having to do homework and write essays. I still do a lot of writing for work but it's actually things I want to write and am passionate about, instead of the mind numbing assignments that some of my professors would hand out. Don't get me wrong, not all of the homework in college was bad, but I love being able to come home from work and not worry about it again until the next morning.


What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far?
The worst part for me has been being separated from all the amazing friends I made in college and having to make new ones. I got married right after I graduated and moved into a neighborhood with a lot of older couples and families, so it has really been a struggle to find people my own age and befriend them. I've been lonely a lot, and it makes me miss living on a college campus. That's a big reason why I stay involved in blogging, because I can meet so many new friends online!



Ashley from American Honey Blog
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far?
The best part about being post-grad is meeting new coworkers who also graduated with the same/similar degrees and sharing your experiences. It's amazing how similar they can be but also how different and fun some people's college stories are.
















What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far?
The worst part about being post-grad is missing all of your college friends that are now very far away! That and being told you don't have enough in field experience when you just graduated college! You can't get a job without experience but nobody will give you a chance to get experience. Catch 22 right there y'all!  



Liz from Sunshine and Shandy (aka the blog you're on right now, hello!):  
What has been the best part of post-grad for you so far? 
Personally, getting to do what I love has been the best part. After four years of studying animals and how to save them, I finally get to handle them every day and feel like I'm actually working towards protecting them and making a difference. I loved college and I understand why you need a degree to do this, but I love getting to actually do what I've been focused on for so long. 

What has been the worst part of post-grad for you so far?
Moving far away from my friends has by far been the hardest part, especially since most of them still live very close together. I see all of them hanging out together at our favorite bars, and get the snapchats, but I can't be there no matter how much I want to be. Luckily, I'm only super far away from everyone for the summer and then hopefully I'll be somewhat close by, but still not within walking distance like we used to be. It's hard to not feel like I'm getting pushed out of the friend group just because of geographic location.  


Make sure to check out all of these lovely ladies' blogs! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this post! 



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My name is Liz and I'm a 22 year old with a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation. I love beer and fashion and exploring the outdoors, and am currently figuring out how to do all of the above on a post-grad budget.

39 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for letting me contribute, Liz! It seems like a lot of us have a hard time with being far from friends. :( But that's why I love blogging, because of posts like this and all the new friends I have made!

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    1. Blogging has seriously been the best new hobby since graduation! And thanks for contributing!!

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  2. I loved bing able to contribute to this! It was so fun seeing everyone's point of views! I love that blogging brings us all together!

    xo, Chelsie @ Life with Rosie

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    1. It's definitely a great way to meet people in our age groups from all parts of the world!

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  3. I agree with pretty much everyone above! Love how you had others share their experiences!

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  4. ERMMYGERD! It's like I found my peeps in this post. Class of '13 over here guys and let's just talk about how life is not AT ALL like the sales pitch they feed you in school. Great post! It was great to know that I'm not an anomaly and that a lot of my peers are feeling the same way about post-grad life.

    XOXO,
    Shyann

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    1. Yeah, I'm still looking for that job I thought my degree would get me hahah. I'm glad you found us though! Keep in touch!

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  5. I enjoyed reading everyone's perspective on this. I graduated in college in 2009, and I honestly would do anything to go back to the days of college even if it meant homework and tests (it kept my brain sharp haha). But I feel like I had so much more free time in school. These days, all I ever do is work. And by the time the work day ends, I'm too exhausted to make dinner or do anything. So, to all the college kids out there - LIVE IT UP WHILE YOU CAN! :)

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    1. I definitely would go back to college in an instant and it's only been two months haha. And I completely understand the not wanting to do anything after work. Even on the weekends all I want to do is veg out. I feel like that partially might have to do with my friends being on the other side of the country though!

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  6. This is really good information

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  7. This was fun to read! And so true about the freedom from not having to do homework. My husband is still in school and I know the guilt eats at him when we are doing something fun that he could be reading, or in the lab. It's nice to simply turn off work because it's not (usually) a 24/7 job.

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    1. That's definitely something that I love about work. I never would have had time to blog during school! I always felt guilty going out on the weekends when I should have been studying as well. There are definitely some trade offs to graduating.

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  8. I could relate to so many of these! Like Chelsie, I found out a few years out of school that teaching wasn't the right fit for me. So grateful for opportunities to try out new professions! Also, not having an immediate community was the hardest part of post-grad life for me. I wish I could go back and do it all again!

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    1. So glad that you both found your new niche! I'm still getting used to my friends not being around though and it's very emotionally tough.

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  9. Good insights. It's definitely a big change when you graduate!

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  10. What a lovely post. Great encouragement for those of yet to graduate. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. I love this! As it is my first summer after college graduation, I can completely relate to many of these bests and worsts of after college. I've found myself truly missing school - the people, the learning, the environment. However, I love my job and career ahead of me - I'm making new friends and taking part in new experiences. It's definitely a lot of change, and I'm far from used to it. But I'm getting there! :) Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I'm so glad that many of us share the same feelings about these past few months!

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  12. Thanks for this insight! I still have two more years until I graduate, but know what good and bad I have to look forward to really helps!

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    1. I know it's cliche but enjoy it while you can!!!

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  13. I swear all we want is to be officially be done with school, but once we are we soooo miss it!!! I miss college lol

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  14. Well sadly im going in year 2 at college about to finish my associate degree in business management cant wait for graduation but ill be going for bachelors and masters too so much graduation lool :)

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  15. I completed my graduation this year and it was great to read this post! :)

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  16. What an accurate picture of what life is like after college. Thanks for putting this together ladies!

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  17. I graduated 5 years ago and I miss all the fun times I had in college. I def do not miss the studying and homework though. It was also nice to not have to pay so many bills.

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    1. Definitely can already feel those bills piling up!

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  18. These are great! It's nice having money post-college, but I miss the mid-day naps, free time, and living close to my college friends!

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    1. yes the naps are what my boyfriend misses most!

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  19. Being free of homework is definitely a positive! Changing friendships was hard for me when I graduated - everyone scattered all over, but after five (ohmygosh!) years, I've settled into the new normal and wouldn't change it for anything!

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    1. That's so reassuring! I'm sure it will just take us all a little while to get settled.

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  20. Love These!
    I love being a "real adult" making money, not doing homework... but I miss all the free time and goofing off with friends on a wednesday afternoon just because we could!

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    1. Glad to see we're all in the same boat! Thanks for reading!

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