What is Life After Graduation?

Most students see life after graduation as an escape to the world of books and classrooms, a grand vacation and well of course, more time for sleeping and relaxation. But what is it as it really it is? It has been 3 years now when "I marched on that aisle with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes, because at last, years of studying was over, soon" and so I thought it would be. Little did I know, I wasn't prepared for the harsh realities of life that confronted me right after graduation. It was so much different than what I thought it would be and these things I wrote in here, will give you an insight of what life after graduation really looks like.

No more allowance/baon. A common occurrence in our culture is that, after  you earn a degree, you are now on your own and depending on your parent is unacceptable. Thus requiring you to get a job because it's what everyone expects of you. You will now learn to value money because you will be one to earn it for yourself to sustain your needs and wants. Most probably, you will also now contribute to pay for your families expenses, financial burdens will be passed onto you like paying the rents, bills, and tuition of your younger siblings. For those who are well-off and parents can still support them while taking their time off after years of studying then it's fine, but for those who are not, which is mostly the case, then looking for a job and earning money will be your next priority. 

A never ending lessons. You think there are no more exams, you no longer need to burn your eyebrows at night reviewing for finals and exams. But for those who are taking board exams then you still need to study, a never ending study. For those who graduated who doesn't need to take the boards, then what you will experience next are tougher than the quizzes and exams you had at school. Real life lessons are waiting for you and sometimes, answers to problems couldn't be found on any textbook and you will realize, it was so much easier when you were studying and you would wish to go back to study. 

You will feel stuck. This is the time when you will decide on what you really want to do with your life. There are things that you've been wanting to do when you were still a student, a dream grand vacation, a trip to a place you've never been before and a passion you've been wanting to pursue that you were not able to accomplish while you were still studying. There will come a point that after graduation and planning to do these things wouldn't really matter anymore because there are more important things like finding a job and earning money that you have to consider than fulfilling those dreams you've been wanting ever since. Your eyes will be opened to the real world and your paradigm will be changed.  You will start to see a bigger picture of what it is really like to live and managing your own life will take its toll on you. Your days will be consumed on making plans on how to accomplish your goals and objectives and the next thing you knew, you're already stuck on a job and career you pursued and those things that you've been wanting to do for so long are already forgotten. Thinking about it will make you feel frustrated and wanting to fulfill it will make you feel more stuck in the job that's hindering you to do it. 

Adjustment phase is so confusing. Your student routine will be changed and you no longer need to wake up early daily to get to school, but you still need to get up to look for a job, or to study for your boards. If you started working ahead then you will need to learn to adjust to your new routine and environment. But if you choose to be unemployed for a particular time after you graduate and after some time you got used to it, if would be a struggle to decide whether you will still pursue your career or you will stick your back to bed because it is even so much better which will likely to happen for those who didn't look for a job earlier on. Or more likely, you will be able to find something that would keep you busy and getting a real job is already out of the picture but you will still be forced by your family to do so. Also, for those who are in a relationship while they were in college, you will be confused whether to get married first before starting your career or career first then get married. It's just all so confusing and you will understand how hard it is to make life-changing decisions for yourself. 

The pressure to get a job or pass the board will overwhelm you. You were so happy on your graduation day that you felt so fulfilled and full of positivity, but right after the day of your graduation, you will face the harsh reality of life, getting a job or passing the board. It will hit you right in front of your nose, and after some break for some weeks or months, you have to get back on track and face the reality. And soon there you are, even more pressured than before because you need to find a job or pass that exam as some of your colleagues already made it and got ahead of you. You will hate the feeling of being left behind and soon, you will be drowning in self-pity and would make you doubt your potentials and capabilities. It happens all the time and what I can tell you is to let it pass and continue to try. 

You will feel more responsible. The fulfillment of earning the degree and at last having a major accomplisment in life will make you more responsible. Whether you like it or not, you will feel so matured and experienced even if you don't want to. You will look at the world differently, you will better understand your family's struggles financially, you will now be involved in family proceedings and your opinion now will have an impact for those who are around you. You will now have a say on the current issues and people will now look up to you making you feel honored and proud of what you have accomplished. It will you make you more responsible on your actions because it will now have an impact on how the society will see you as an educated person. 

You will grow independently or dependently. The choice you are making will determine if you will be an asset or a liability, whether to your family or to your society. If you will use your education for something worthwhile or if you will just put those studying years in waste. If you will be a great help or a burden to your family, or if you will just put your life on freeze. 

Maturational crisis happens to everyone and it would just depend on a person on how he/she would handle the situation. Success depends on a person, some have their own timings and seasons, and no one can really know what's in store for anyone. But what a person can do, is to try and try. Challenges will always be there but I hope that every new graduate will choose to improve themselves and would be fruitful in their chosen paths and endeavors. As a new set of graduates made it today, they should get ready for the life after graduation. 

Congratulations to the Graduates of 2016!