Accepted offer - feeling unproductive/dread senior year

I am a graduating senior, and was fortunate enough to receive and accept a FT offer starting Fall '24. Happy with the job, and no need to recruit further. My senior year class schedule is fairly light, and I work part-time just to pay my rent/groceries. I just feel like I should be doing something more with this time. I am trying to enjoy my time to the fullest, capitalizing on time with friends/family, but during the daytime I really don't have much to do. When I think about the fact that I will not have this level of free time again until I retire, I feel extremely unproductive and get the feeling there is something I need to be doing with this time. I could pick up more hours at work, but it is nothing interesting, and doesn't pay all that well. I could devote more time to classes to solidify some A's, but the motivation to go above and beyond in these last few classes just isn't there. I guess what I'm asking is, what did you guys do with your senior year? I was super pumped for the opportunity to just slack off all year, but a couple months in and I just have this feeling of dread. Like I'm wasting the precious time I have left. Anyone else deal with this?

14 Comments
 

I ran heavy and hot senior year. I was mainly focused on a good GPA to have for MBA apps. I took 24 hours first semester and got a 4.0. Second semester I took 21 hours and got a 3.8 because my Chinese teacher gave me a B in Chinese History. Unreal. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Most Helpful

The rest of your life will be based around work. Here's a mix of what I did and some stuff I wish I did

- Push yourself: you got the job, congrats. Keep doing well in school, now keep growing as a human.

- Develop and pursue hobbies: spend time in the gym, read books regarding a wide array of topics that you are interested in, watch movies that are outside of what you normally would, learn how to cook, get better at talking to girls, etc. Get in better shape than you have ever been in, and learn about cool shit that excites you, whatever that is. 

- If you're thinking about getting an MBA you can knock out standardized tests this year when you're still in study mode 

- Spend time with your friends and value, cherish and further develop these relationships.

Edit: Also regarding the dread- it might just be me, but that never goes away. When you start working you'll feel like you need to be doing more, etc. Work hard and actively to find ways to fight that. Need to have goals and purpose in life that you are working to pursue outside of work so that you can feel complete. Still a major work in progress for me and I fail at it, often.

 

I'm a bit behind you, but here's what I want to do when I hopefully get there:

- relax and slack, finally chill out and not have to spent every moment being productive

- mentor some first years, if its something you're interested in maybe offer some support to people going through recruiting, i'm super grateful to the seniors who've taken the time to chat with me and help with everything

- bucket list items, you might not have this much free time for a good while, get some things you want to do out of the way before you can't, whether that's travelling somewhere or picking up a new hobby or simply doing stuff with your friends you won't see much in the future

 

Great point on mentorship- it's uniquely rewarding helping out those a few years younger than you, especially when they are ambitious. Can make a real impact on other people's lives for the better and that can come back to help you in the future. I feel like helping someone get a job in the modern world is a really big gift, can change their life trajectory for the better.

 

Accepted my FT 23 right after my varsity season that fall. Felt empty after accepted (normal for seniors who grind so hard for this type of job and then don’t have that time filled). Sat back and made a bucket list as others said above.

Huge thing for me was completing something I missed prior to college. That for me was running races (half marathon / marathon / Ironman). Dedicated my time to achieving that before hitting the desk. Traveled even if it meant going for a weekend somewhere nearby. Anything to experience something new while I had the time.

Also connected back with friends I isolated during recruiting. Got coffee and spent time with mentors I hadn’t caught up with. This hopefully will be huge in the future if I need someone to lean on.

Enjoy this time. It goes by fast. Try to get as much done (bucket list wise and errand wise) like doctors, logistical errands etc. Really helps in the long run.

 

NoBrim

Accepted my FT 23 right after my varsity season that fall. Felt empty after accepted (normal for seniors who grind so hard for this type of job and then don’t have that time filled). Sat back and made a bucket list as others said above.

Huge thing for me was completing something I missed prior to college. That for me was running races (half marathon / marathon / Ironman). Dedicated my time to achieving that before hitting the desk. Traveled even if it meant going for a weekend somewhere nearby. Anything to experience something new while I had the time.

Also connected back with friends I isolated during recruiting. Got coffee and spent time with mentors I hadn’t caught up with. This hopefully will be huge in the future if I need someone to lean on.

Enjoy this time. It goes by fast. Try to get as much done (bucket list wise and errand wise) like doctors, logistical errands etc. Really helps in the long run.

What is your 26.2 and 70.3/140.6 PR?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Research "FIRE" and come up with a plan. More generally, try to imagine how you think your life will play out. Spending all of it working should not be a goal. Indulge in some hobbies now so you know what that feels like. Take vacations and spend time with family and friends.

 

Develop hobbies because working life without something to look forward to sucks. 

The important thing is never to let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries; to continue steadfastly on one's way without letting oneself be either defeated by failure or diverted by applause.
 

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