College may have been the best or worst years of your life. Regardless of how your experience may have gone, you are about to face a lot of uncertainty and change after graduating. You are now about to enter the real world and all of the responsibilities that come with it. The student loan bills you thought you had years to pay back may ambush you when you really aren't prepared for them. You may find yourself jobless, not knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life. Maybe you found a job but realize this is not what you want to do for the rest of your life. Or maybe you live in your parent's basement and are unable to support yourself financially. These are concerns that most college students don't think about because we like to have our dreams and aspirations, but what happens if those dreams don't come true? With these 9 things you wish you knew about life after college, you can find ways to prepare or work through the struggles you may face during this life change.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
It is okay not to have an exact plan after college
Although it may pose a challenge not to have a job lined up after college, it is normal, and it's a struggle many people go through. Plans you may have had before graduating can create additional stress and anxiety due to trying to force yourself to stick with a plan you made before actually experiencing the reality of life after college. You are unable to prepare yourself for things that could get in the way of your plan and your life changing. It can be extremely stressful not knowing what to do next or how to accomplish your goals. Anxiety over not knowing if you will land the dream job you once thought you would have after college. It is important to keep things in perspective and allow yourself to fully experience the journey of reaching the destination you wish to be at.
It is unfair to yourself to put the pressure of planning out your entire life. It is impossible to do so. There will always be something unexpected that will alter your expectations of how life after college will go. Try to focus on planning out your next few days, then weeks, and then months. This will allow you to accomplish little things that lead to bigger things. You can't try to start an entire new life in one day; things take time. It's important not to feel like you have to jump into something you are not ready for just because you feel like you have to.
2. Post Graduation Depression
Post-college depression is a real thing, and you could possibly be experiencing this.
Symptoms of Post-College Depression:
Lack of motivation: After graduation, many students find themselves lacking motivation. It is expected to feel confused and unorganized on what your next step will be and how to start your career.
Feeling stuck: Life transitions are difficult. College is very different from the real world, and your routine and interests begin to change after college. At Anchor Therapy, we offer life transition therapy that can help you through this significant change and the challenges you may be facing.
Feeling low: After graduating from college, you may miss having a packed social schedule with a close group of friends who spend a significant amount of time together. This familiar support system you have had the past few years from your friend group may be gone due to friends relocating and moving on to different career paths.
Find difficulty functioning in daily life: Graduating college is the end of a chapter in your life. It is a hard pill to swallow knowing that you won't have those morning debriefs with your college roommates after a night out, going to a frat party, or the excitement of getting a 100 on an exam. The transition to the real world can be a challenge. It is expected to feel overwhelmed and confused over the choices you have to make about your next steps after graduation.
Feelings of sadness: Sadness after college is common, and a lot of graduates go through post-college depression. Although you may feel excited and have a sense of achievement after making it through college and graduating, it can feel discouraging if their reality does not align with your plan. College graduates may not get into graduate school, have independence from their parents, get their dream job, or have the same friends. After college, you will face societal, economic, and environmental challenges that can leave you confused and hopeless, feeling like your world is crumbling down. At Anchor Therapy, we offer Depression Counseling and other services that can provide you with a counselor who best fits your needs to offer the help you need. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, read our blog, “3 Ways to Support Someone with Depression.”
Change in appetite: Post-graduation depression can create a constant feeling of hunger, or it can make the simple task of preparing and planning each meal feel like a chore. Shifts in your eating habits and routines could result in unintended weight loss or gain.
Sleep issues: Depression can make you feel exhausted. You may find yourself struggling to try to sleep or sleep in the afternoon, throwing off your sleep cycle. Post-graduate depression can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night or experience daytime sleepiness.
Brain fog: You may find it hard to focus on daily tasks or at your job. Forgetting little things, such as where you put your keys or phone, is often a symptom of brain fog.
Hopelessness: Something as mindless as scrolling through Instagram may make you experience post-grad depression, seeing your classmates who all post the impressive things that are going on in their lives. Where you may be stuck, jobless, and unhappy with your current situation after graduation.
Shame, guilt, or self-loathing: You may feel regretful about what you did or didn't do in college and how you can never go back and change it. You may wish you had studied harder, hung out with your friends more often, or picked a different major.
3. Student Debt
Student debt can create a lot of stress and anxiety for people. You may feel doubtful and overwhelmed, not knowing how they will be able to pay back their loans. Many people feel like they have too much money to pay back and maybe aren't getting the dream job they thought they would get with their degree. Now, they find themselves stuck in debt, not knowing what to do on top of the stress of how they are going to be able to pay back those loans. You do not have to go through this stressful time alone. At Anchor Therapy, we offer anxiety counseling with trusted therapists who can support and give guidance to you during this time.
The impact of these student loans affects not only your financial life but also your mental health, which can significantly affect your life in many aspects after college. Student debt can delay pursuing further education opportunities, such as getting a master's or doctorate degree. Not knowing how you are going to pay off the debt you are already in from your undergraduate degree can make the thought of pursuing further education seem impossible. This can limit job opportunities and their ability to stay competitive in their career field. Student debt can also get in the way of major life milestones such as career choices, buying a home or car, getting married, or starting a family. It can make saving up for significant expenses seem almost impossible.
At the end of the day, student loan debt is a good debt to have. You got the opportunity to make memories, meet new people, and earn a degree. With this degree, you opened the doors to more job opportunities and possibilities to land a well-paying job. The debt will eventually pay itself off with the career you have studied and worked hard for. Everything will be worth it in the end, even if it may seem like the loans are overwhelming now and never-ending. You are financing an education. Most companies prefer a college degree over experience, so it is all worth it in the end.
4. Start Applying for Jobs Early
After you graduate college, there will be a lot of pressure on you to find a job and work after graduation. If you rush the process and just take the first job offered to you, it could potentially lead to poor job options. So, if you start looking for jobs early on, it will give you enough time to look at additional career options related to your major and interests. Starting to look and apply for jobs in advance allows you to attend events like career fairs or networking events with professionals in your field, which will increase your chances of finding a job. Searching for a job early on will allow you to figure out what skills and qualifications are required for the job you are looking into for a career. One really important aspect of applying for jobs early is reducing the intense pressure that comes along with last-minute job hunting. Along with this, looking for internships during your time at college will not only enhance your resume but will give you relevant skills needed for jobs, giving you an advantage over other candidates. Applying for jobs can be very stressful and emotionally draining. Fortunately, life transition counseling can help support you during this significant life change.
5. Travel if you can
After graduating college, it is a perfect time to go out and see the world and new places before you lock yourself down into a full-time job. Also, remember you just worked hard for your degree, so you deserve a break before jumping back into work mode. Traveling also helps to show you that your life has only begun and college is not the only fun or carefree years of your life. It reminds you that there is more to discover around the world, and you are not locked down to a 9-5. You can still have fun, and there are still more opportunities out there for you to explore. If you are interested in learning more about how taking breaks is beneficial for your mental health, read our blog “How Taking Breaks Can Help Your Mental Health”.
6. Be comfortable with taking risks and making mistakes
Just like when you were in college, you will take risks, and you may fail. But that's okay, and it's a part of life and growing. If you are not making mistakes, you aren't taking enough risks. Taking risks will not only increase your chances of success but also empower and build resilience to failure. It is one of the most important ways to help you improve your skills and gain experience. You will never learn, grow, and adapt to your new reality after college if you fail to take any risks. To learn more about life transitions, read our recent blog, “College Student’s Guide to Thriving Through Life Transitions with Insights from Barbie.”
7. Learn How to Budget:
Many college graduates enter the workforce and find they do not know how to handle their finances or the stress of actual bills they are expected to pay. For most new college graduates, finding a job with a salary that is decent enough and pays the bills is what to look for. In most cases, your dream job will come later down the road, and with the immense amount of student loans, the only thing you are going to want is to get those bills off your back. Even if you never truly learned how to budget your money during college, after college is the perfect time to start. You will set yourself up for success by creating good money habits and becoming financially secure. A tool that many post-graduate students find helpful is the 50/20/30 rule. This consists of spending 50% of your money on your needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on saving. This will slowly help you pay off student loans and bills while also reserving extra money to make sure you can buy the things you want. If you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed during this transition, anxiety or life transitions therapy may be right for you.
8. Losing your friends from college
You may expect your friendships from college to last forever, but they may end. Every friendship is different as a college student. Some friendships last a lifetime and others may not. Typically, the distance between you and your friends or the different paths you take after graduation will pull you apart. Even if it does not at first, you and most of your friends will eventually go separate ways, and you begin to lose some things you once had in common with each other. Of course, some friendships last a lifetime, and you may find that your friend group from college stays in close contact and has frequent visits. But either way, you are growing and changing, therefore affecting these friendships. If you are interested in learning more about friendship breakups, read our recent blog, “Why Do You Experience Grief After a Friendship Breakup?” Overall, every friendship is different. You may have found that forever friend during your time spent at college that lasts a lifetime. It is important to try to stay connected with your friendships from college, but the ones that are meant to last will.
9. Be mindful of your mental health
Being mindful of your mental and physical health is extremely important when going through a significant life transition, such as graduating college. Mindful practices may help a recent college graduate manage their stress and reduce anxiety and depression. Making sure that you make your mental health a priority helps you be more aware of your thoughts and feelings rather than be overwhelmed by them. Identifying these feelings will help you find ways to manage negative or stressful thoughts. After graduation, you will experience a lot of unknowns and choices that you will have to make that seem like you don't know the answer to them yet. Learning techniques to calm yourself down and regulate your emotions will ultimately also help to redirect and focus your attention on what is important.
Addison Selzer
is an Intern at Anchor Therapy. She is an undergraduate student at the University of Delaware studying Human Development and Family Sciences with a concentration in Clinical Services. Upon graduating undergrad, she is looking to pursue a graduate and doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology with the goal of becoming a therapist.
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