How to move past college and get into a good mindset for professional life and real world?
Having graduated recently, I'll be starting in IB in a few months. I've found myself reminiscing about my college experience and not feeling ready for what's to come. I have greatly enjoyed the past four years in all aspects - social life, classes, faculty mentorship and wish I could redo it all again. The opportunity to live in a bubble and just spend my time learning and engaging with phenomenal people has been amazing.
Having done IB internships in the past, I know its gonna be a grind / slog where I won't be intellectually challenged on a day-to-day basis nor will I have the opportunity to partake in extracurriculars / social activities the way I do in college. I also feel like its quite suffocating to not being yourself and having to act professional and straight-faced all the time or at least during regular business hours when seniors still around.
I now see why people say college is the best four years of your life, and I'm feeling quite apprehensive about going into the world, especially in a time like now. Do any of you have any advice on preserving the elements I've loved about college life / things to look forward to and get excited about?
There's no point in looking backwards. Only mental masturbation.
This "college is the best years of your life" mentality is total BS perpetuated by average minded Joes. FUCK THAT. Anyone who can't get out of it 3 years after college are losers or man-children at best.
Your adult life is the best part of your life: You finally get a chance to shape your life exactly in your own vision.
Let's start with being an adult.
1) You're an average of the people you surround yourself with. Choose the right friends. Stop hanging out with your frat bros all the time and make new adult friends. Meet well-principled and intelligent people.
2) Start taking on responsibilities. Pay your own bills. Manage your finances. Make your own food. Maybe get a pet, train it and whatever it takes to take care of it. Taking on responsibilities should be eventually ingrained into your brain.
Now about how to still live an exciting life.
3) You can still find interesting people if you know where to look. Be proactive (If you have the time that is). Volunteer, join a sports group, join social clubs for discussing intellectual topics, etc...
4) Take some risks. Maybe occasionally hit up a bar alone and talk to some people you usually wouldn't. Engage yourself more with everyday life. Talk to people and learn about them. Stay curious.
100% agree
I remember the day I left college, I thought to myself “life only goes downhill from here”. I couldn’t have been more sad, immature, or wrong.
didnt really enjoy college so I cant relate. I worked full time to get through school while going fulltime as well so it wasn't easy. To answer your question, the biggest way to get in the mindset for the real world is when you realize you are broke..... thats as real as it gets.
Same experience. Worked full time, stacked my classes to 2 days a week (from noon to 10P at night) for most of college. It felt more like working while taking classes than a college experience.
I’m looking forward to reshaping my career.
bump
There's no denying that college was super fun for some people. I enjoyed my first 3 years immensely - just screwed around carefree, living life like never before (came from a small shithole and moved to a big city). Never broke because of financial support and side hustles, so life was good.
Wasn't until last year that I started getting my act together, to salvage whatever I had done the three previous years.
But you know what? People get older, grow apart, and a lot of the magic is lost.
That naive fun that you had in your late teens / early 20s is gone forever - but there are plenty of other things to do, which are just as fun - you just need to find your own thing. If the idea of fun is getting fucked up 3-4 times a week, then I don't have any good news for you, but for most other things you're better off now - just gotta get good at managing time.
I don't see any wrong in reminiscing about the past every now and then, but it can get unhealthy real fast if that's all one does. I enjoy to look through old photos from back then, but that's that. Just wait until all your friends start getting kids and families - you'll be pretty much forced to find ways to entertain yourself.
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