Atypical Jesus

Hey guys! I recently graduated from college, and it is a very difficult transition. You go from having to work constantly, struggling to meet deadlines, finish projects and preparing presentations, to having a seemingly endless amount of free time. While in class, everyone would complain about how tough it was. I always wished it was just a little less stressful, a little more bearable. But I did not want my schedule completely wiped out, filled with tons of time. Some days I feel stressed, lonely, bored. Some days, I have a lot of fun. One of my Facebook friends who just graduated with me posts motivational stuff for everyone. She talks about how some days are good and some are hard, but that it is important to take it one day at a time.

            I’ve only been out of school a few weeks, but there are a few valuable things I have learned so far:

1. Prioritize your time. Even if you don’t have a lot to do, make a list of all the things you plan to do that day, and then do them. Even if it is simply running a few errands, cleaning house, working on a resume. Before I did this, I did not know how much time to allot to each project, and I ended up focusing on the wrong things. I have since made a list of all my activities, prioritizing them from most important to least.
2. Give yourself time to relax. I am an extremely goal oriented person, so my first objective when I got out of school was to get a job. I already have a job at Chick-fil-a, but I wanted a grown up job, where I could really start saving for my future. But I quickly found out that I was working just as hard out of school as I was when I was in school, and winded up exhausted. Even when you are eager to please your parents, realize that you have worked so hard and accomplished so much. Reward yourself by giving yourself a little break.
3. While in college, it was good to have a part-time job. I’ve been working at Chick-fil-a for over 4 years, since I was in high school. I still work there as a college graduate. When my life suddenly emptied up, having a job that I was familiar with helped to keep me from being depressed. I got to see familiar faces and maintain some sort of a routine.
4. When you start looking for a job, be diligent, patient, confident, and don’t be overcome with worry! Find friends who are doing the same thing, and talk with them about their progress. Don’t give up if you have a few bad days. Find people who will motivate you. It may take awhile, but that is ok! Anything worth having is worth working hard to find.

Here are some valuable resources that I have found; feel free to check them out!

Tips for college grads: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/first-job-out-of-college/