You are not a bum or a loser if you move home. Whether it is in the hometown where you grew up or a brand new city, moving home will give you a firm launching pad to job search, relax a bit and decide what you want to do next. Plus, half of your friends are doing the exact same thing so don't feel alone.
Do not know your next step? It's okay. After reading multiple Gen-Y blogs and crying myself to sleep, I figured out it's fine to not have it all figured out. Your parents may be hounding your butt to know what you want to do. When they graduated college, they had a great economy to go into. We do not. Reality check to your parents! You are not alone in this feeling; a lot of new graduates are going through this.
Speak up. You have a passion? Bring it into your conversations as you introduce yourself to new people. "What do you want to do?" (A common question for new grads.). Originally, I was scared to admit my passion. But now when I am talking with people, it comes up organically. Doors have opened up for me to pursue that passion just by having conversations and talking openly with people. Passion for fashion? Talk about it. Passion for children? Talk about it. Pursue avenues to be able to tell people about your passions, you never know who will be that door into an exciting adventure.
Get Community. If you are moving back to your hometown and feel like the only one, or are moving to a new city where you know no one, get out there and meet some people. Having friends who are similar in age or share the same passion will make this transition period much easier. I moved to a new city out of the country to live with my parents. It took me 6 months of being persistent and proactive to have a semblance of a social life. Another great resource is your alumni organization within your university. Contact them and see what events they're planning, jobs they may know about or to see if they know of anyone who is working in the field you are passionate about.
Go easy on yourself. Give yourself some grace and slack for the different emotions that spring up after graduating from college. Unless you are going straight into a masters program, you are finally done with school after it has consumed 15+ years of your life. There is such a thing as a quarter-life crisis. Google it. It is normal to have differing feelings about moving on with your life and to fear the unknown. Now stop giving yourself such a hard time and embrace this new journey!
Is there something you wish you knew when you graduated that you have since learned?
Refreshing post--I'm a recent grad and I'm in the same job-seeking, living-with-parents boat now that you were in when you graduated. Thanks for sharing your story and your advice!
ReplyDeleteSomething I wish I knew at graduation? The benefits of state employment. I'd have 17 years in by now in a line of work that still has a pension!
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