Thankfully, I managed to find mine pretty quickly so adjusting to Grad life has been smoother than I ever thought it would be! However, when I headed back to Canterbury last weekend, it made me miss uni more than I ever thought I would. I had the best night, reunited with all my friends, and it the reality that this is no longer a regular thing made me more grateful for the time we had together, but also sad about how much fun we used to have - especially in third year.
Some of the things that have helped me adjust to this new lifestyle are things that I thought I would share, just to help anyone who's graduation is looming ahead of them, and they feel a bit unsure about their next chapter!
One / You will earn money, and it will be fantastic - you'll work hard for that money, which will ultimately make you feel even better than money that just sort of dropped into your account every term. It's a great feeling!
Two / Things will go wrong and you will have to spend that hard earned money on fixing your car/paying for your broken phone/ paying for something adulty - but that's OK, because next month you might save even more than you'd ever hoped which will help you sort these annoying things out in the future.
Three / University matures you, but working full time will add to that maturity - at Uni, you have meals to cook and clothes to clean with probably less lectures than hours at work. Going to work everyday makes you responsible for things that will have an impact on others, instead of just being responsible for yourself and your work at university
Four / You will miss the care-free days of uni, but appreciate the days you have off now even more - uni was great, I would work super hard in the mornings so I could bum around all afternoon, but now my days off are more limited, so I appreciate them more than I ever have before!
Five / Missing your old uni companions is inevitable, but working will bring you fantastic, new friends, and moving home will unite you with old friends too - this one might not apply for everyone because you and your uni friends might decide to stay in the same place, but for me (having moved home), I've been united with old friends, and made new ones too!
Adjusting to the new lifestyle can be a challenge, but I just like to think of it as a new chapter in my lifestyle, and that's totally fine with me. University was fabulous, and I will have happy memories of it, but I was ready to grow up and get stuck into the World of Work as such. Hopefully, if you're about to become a graduation in the next couple of months, this may have helped you feel a bit more prepared for what's to come!
Are you a graduate? How did you find adjusting to grad life?