So Im currently in my last year of college and recently got a job offer so I am set in terms of starting off my career after graduation. After 3 yrs, I am getting bored of the college life. Yes it was fun to bang random chicks, get wasted on the weekends, etc, but I feel that Im ready to move on in life. I wanna start making money and live independently! Now everyday I look forward to graduation day. The day that I am no longer a student, but an adult. The day when I could start my career and work towards attaining my dreams and fulfilling my goals (I know I kinda sound like a tool). However, what worries me is seeing ppl that have already entered the real world. It seems like 9/10 ppl hate their jobs and daily routine of wake up, go to work, come home, sleep. From talking with most grown ups, they tell me to enjoy my college years because they are the “best years of your life” and that life after is all down hill. Is this true? What kind of expectations did you guys have during college regarding the real world and how did it turn out to be? Better? Worse? Also, what are the things that you must deal with when you are a adult that as a college student you don’t think about?
It does get easier to bag random chicks…
In college, I studied hard for my engineering degree. Now, I study twice as hard for Finance, CFA, GMAT, GRE, CAIA, Investing, and life while working.
honesly have u ever banged a chick
Do family members count?
I’ve been in the “real world” for 3 years. There were several adjustments for me. 1. In college I was used to slacking off. You don’t HAVE to go to class the next day. You can drink a bunch of beers and sleep in. In the real world, this doesn’t fly. You have to be at work, and yes you can drink the night before, but if you get smashed, be prepared to have a crappy day at work the next day. Things get more serious. 2. Intellectual stimulation is not really there anymore. If you get a BO job, or even entry-level FO jobs, you will be doing really mundane, routinized work all day. It gets really boring, but hey it’s work, and you have to do it. I’m assuming things are better in the front office but I don’t really know. 3. Failure happens more. In school, you can study hard and pretty much be guaranteed an A or B as long as you put in the time. In the real world, there is no guarantee of that raise or promotion. You might work harder and be smarter than the next guy, but the next guy might have more political connections in the company and will move up faster than you. 4. In the working world, you are now the youngest of the bunch. You will work on a daily basis with people anywhere from 21 - 60. People will be professional, more mature, have kids, wives, houses, and even speak differently than you. In college, everyone you “work” with is the same age and you can talk differently around your college peers. But anyway, yes, I do think most people I see on a daily basis are less happy than when I was in college. Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse. It’s just different. I suppose in the beginning it will feel worse, but you get used to it and it just becomes normal. But there are some very rewarding things about working as well such as contributing meaningfully to society, making dough for yourself, and having more independence.
eso Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > honesly have u ever banged a chick Yes.
japped: I went to a pretty sprawled out, disconnected campus for college and can’t say I liked it that all much and I like the real world better, particularly making my own money and having that independence. I advise working for a firm that is hiring a lot of ppl your age. Getting hired in a cohort will keep your drive up and companies that do this know what to do with young ppl. Also, as tempting as it may be, don’t drink too much on weeknights, you will always regret it. And if you have never “banged a chick” I wouldn’t start with the ladies at your firm. eso Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > honesly have u ever banged a chick Wow. I’m not sure where you’re trying to go with this but I squirted milk out my nose on my monitor. And to the family members comment, congrats on saving it for marriage. I actually know a couple that did this and they don’t seem to happy with each other.
My thoughts pretty much mirror topher’s. University was so much easier…sniff.
Graduating in 4 years was the worst mistake I have ever made.
Sounds like there’s a market for “adult college.”
If I win the lottery I am going back to some college as a freshman. I will bring one of you with me. You must submit an essay of why I should pick you in 500 words or less.
i’ve been “banging one chick” all my married life. Most of the time that was the wife…
Try to get a job overseas if you have the cajones. Even if you go to England or Australia where the culture is pretty much the same, it’s still an enriching experience. It’s hard to get that boring, “hamster in a wheel” feeling when you’re learning and trying new things every day. Plus, you’ll be the guy with the exotic accent, and that automatically makes you more attractive with the girls (especially in Australia). Me, I’m looking to back to Japan (where I served in the military before college), Moscow, or Singapore. Even if I land an offer for $120k in New York, I’ll take a $50k job in Moscow over that any day.
If you want to get a good sense of the working world, read “Working” by Studs Terkel. It’s 30 years old, but still has a lot of good insight. An older friend recommended it to me shortly after I graduated college, and reading it was well worth the time.
Florida_Gator Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Try to get a job overseas if you have the cajones. > Even if you go to England or Australia where the > culture is pretty much the same, it’s still an > enriching experience. It’s hard to get that > boring, “hamster in a wheel” feeling when you’re > learning and trying new things every day. Plus, > you’ll be the guy with the exotic accent, and that > automatically makes you more attractive with the > girls (especially in Australia). > > Me, I’m looking to back to Japan (where I served > in the military before college), Moscow, or > Singapore. Even if I land an offer for $120k in > New York, I’ll take a $50k job in Moscow over that > any day. i agree wholeheartedly, but its best to get some experience back home first. i finished uni, worked for two years and then went to London. not only do you have a good time and get to ‘bang chicks from all over the world’, because the ccy is stronger, you actually earn more (applies to most areas of finance).
I graduated in 2007 from a state university. Like you, I was burned out on college by mid-way through my Junior year. I had some AMAZING times and my best friends are still the ones I made in college. I have mixed feelings about post-college life. 1) Overall, I prefer “the real world” by a fairly significant margin. Most people gain a significant level of satisfaction by being self sufficient. My “real world” apartment is about a thousand times nicer than my college apartment. My “real world” car is a new SUVish type car while my “college car” was an old Volvo. My post-college friends run the gamut of 18 to early 50s–this is the true definition of diversity. If you’re ambitious, you’ll definitely get the sense that college is a waste of your time. I also find myself attracted to older women now–you’ll find that “cougars” can be incredibly sexy and, in many cases, more so than college girls by a long shot. If you live/work in areas like Washington, DC or New York, you’ll find that the after-dark crowd of 20-somethings is more sophisticated and entertaining than your college acquaintances. Networking has a greater impact as the people you meet have, ya know, experience, money, intelligence, and contacts whereas most of your college friends–umm. 2.) That said, dude, sometimes “the real world” sucks testicles, especially in finance (especially in 2008) and especially when you are young. The market sucks and you are the most expendable person. I was laid off about a year after I graduated (it’s cool, I have a better gig now). And often times the work can be very mundane–and I’ve had a FO job since day one. There is no longer a plethora of hot girls all around. And when your alarm goes off in the morning, you can no longer get away with hitting the snooze button. I rarely feel like I’m being intellectually challenged once I learn major parts of my job. Learning is entirely self-directed and you may miss the spoon-fed brilliance of some of your professors. Also, the daily commute–it’s a real thing. It sucks for most people. Overall, if you live in a cool area, maintain some strong friendships, and have a good job, post-college life is superior in most facets.
I can’t remember who said this but for careers, there is a triangle with three points. You can have one point in your career, two , or even three. Three is optimal but not as common as having two. - One point is for a career that you are really passionate about - The other point is for a career that you are really good at - The last is for a career that is very lucrative If you have a job that you are passionate about, really good at, and it makes you a lot of money, its perfect, but many times it will be a combination of the three. Such as doing something you love but not for the money, or working tons and tons of hours because you are good at it, it is lucrative but you’re not 100% passionate about it.
I can say I like my job, I make enough to get thru, and I can keep my self busy with other outside interest (languages, my own business, etc) so overall I am about as happy as I was in college. I think the biggest thing you lose is flexibility…
Japped, It has been a year since i have joined the ‘real world’ and i have seen pros and cons in both but lately cons seem to outweigh the pros. Just like you, I did feel bored at college time to time. My reasons of being bored included: - studying the theories and not being able to apply it as soon as i learned the material - eagerness to start fulfilling my goals, eagerness to make more money and be independent (no concept of living independently as a female from where i belong) Then started the series of shocks and discoveries: - i didnt even find the scope of my dream job in the part of the world where i am. Though the good part was that i didnt need to hassle much to get the job. The job seemed ideal as it was close to what and where i wanted to work, if not 100% the same for what i hoped for at college. - i seriously felt good to get that big check initially but then I found out that i am being seriously underpaid (we all are in our firm as compared to others in similar firms)! - now i have got the chance to apply what i had learned at college but i discovered that i am getting to apply only 10%. - Initial months were fun at office since i got to learn new stuff but now it has become a routine and not getting to learn something new makes me dull and bored! As topher said, there is really not much of an intellectual stimulation. that makes me feel life has become really stagnant. - Now, everything seems soooo routinized - wake up at a particular time, have lunch at a particular time and come back from office at a particular time…you lose touch with your friends, family starts to complain that you are not giving them much time (well, at times only), - you HAVE to show up at office even if you DON’T have work, thus you just simply lose the leisure time sitting infront of the computer screen…the good part is that after-work you do have more time to pursue the readings and hobbies (if you feel like it and have time, that is) for which you didnt get the time at college - As a college student, one believes in idealistic theories such as success comes from hard work but as soon as i stepped in the ‘real world’ this no longer seemed true at all. I realized success comes not only from hard work - it is connections, how well you can suck up to your boss and how you present yourself all the time. Even recruitment is not always fairly based on the capabilities, someone with better connections inside would get the position. At times, better looking too have a better chance (specially applies to females, at least in the part of the world I am in). - Unlike most of you, my office is a small firm and there are just a few employees so it gets really boring seeing and sitting with the same people for 9 hours at work everyday! Plus, you can not really trust most of them. I seriously have characters at my office. One is a shameless suck up, one is not as competent at work, the one i am friendly with is usually quiet…just imagine! Ok enough of my venting. Sorry for the long post. All in all, college life rocked big time! so japped please enjoy your last few months at college thoroughly! Grass is really not that green as it seems on the other side…