Maybe you’ve finally gotten that job you’re going for, like I have. Maybe you’re ready to put your job hunting days behind you, like I am. Conceptually, everything you’re looking for to stabilize your postgraduate life has been given to you. The question is, are you ready for it? Here are a couple things I’ve learned in my transition process:
1. It ain’t no cakewalk. We are creatures of habit and the habits that you’ve picked up as an unemployed postgrad should probably stay specific to that period in your life. I know that as much as I tried to stay disciplined, keeping up a high-level of productivity and positivity was definitely the hardest battle for me. It was just so easy to wake up late just because I could, shower only when I had to, eat at odd hours and so forth. This lifestyle won’t cut it once you’re employed because you’ve gotta tighten up your responsibilities, make an effort to stay hygienic and just live a life with some semblance of regularity and normalcy.
2. Be mindful of your spending. So you have an income now. You’ve got the money flowing in and can now justify letting yourself loosen up a little and let some of that money flow out. The economic downturn of yesteryear led to a culture of penny-pinching and watchful spending that I had never experienced before in my lifetime. And now, even before I’ve gotten a penny of my first paycheck, I’ve already gone and spent a large portion of it. In justification, I did have to upgrade my wardrobe a tad to match the corporate vibe of my new workplace but honestly, none of what I bought was absolutely necessary. If there is anything to be learned from the bad economy, it’s that nothing is for sure so if you want to ensure your survivability, you need to incorporate a healthy amount of saving into your life.
I can’t really expand much more on this topic because I’ve only been employed for a two-week block and it’s only been part-time so I’m sure more will come just with experience. What other changes have you guys made to adjust yourself to employed life?
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I really liked this post. what you said about habits is so true. We need to develop better habits so that we don’t suffer the change.
In college, week nights were just as much social time as were the weekends. I was used to having friends just minutes away or next door. When you work, you don’t “hang-out” everyday after work. There are other things to do, like laundry and dishes, paying bills. I see a friend for dinner maybe once during the week. Weekends are social time. It’s a strange adjustment not going out and socializing all the time.