Being in the post-college phase is one of the crises that has to be passed in our 20’s. You will be pushed to fulfill the society’s success standard, not to mention that you will always get intimidated by those Instagram or LinkedIn updates from your friends. So, here are some ways to survive your post-college life crisis:
- Set up your own personal brand
Since you no longer have the title of a college student, you need to find your own personal brand for pursuing your career. Find the things that you’re really good at and claim it as your field of expertise such as a nurse, a writer, a marketer, or whatever else. Make your personal brand your identity and be proud of it when you want to apply to a related job.
- Don’t skip any job interviews
Job interviews are the best time for you to learn about a selection process of applying for jobs. Each company usually has its own way of conducting interviews and the more you show up for job interviews, the more you can answer any questions appropriately. Take those interviews as your practice to ‘sell yourself’ and you will learn countless lessons from those interviews.
- Sleep before you make a huge career decision
Being a fresh-grad usually makes you really excited to apply to as many opportunities as possible and it makes you want to take anything that life has to offer. But, remember to stay calm. Don’t make any huge decisions right away when it comes to career options because it will affect your life in the long term. When you can’t decide, sleep on it and consider the consequences on the next day.
- Don’t stalk people on social media
Social media is one of the things you should avoid when you’re in the post-college period. People’s life updates can potentially make you jealous and reduce your sense of well-being. Always remember that people’s life on social media is mostly not the same as their actual life. Instead of stalking your friends, use your social media accounts only for seeking jobs and new opportunities.
- Prepare yourself to be separated with your friends
You will most likely be separated with your college friends since everybody is graduating and starting their jobs. You need to be ready for being on your own and solving problems by yourself. But, don’t worry, your social life will be back once you get a job or get involved in a new community.
- Be open to countless possibilities
More often than not, a fresh graduate has been too idealist to take leaps of their career opportunities. They are too picky in choosing jobs since they are really considering the costs and benefits from one job to another. It’s not wrong either, but don’t let your considerations make a limit to your own potential. Be open to new opportunities and be patient because a success story doesn’t happen in one night.
- Trust your gut
If you feel lost because there are so many opportunities ahead, trust your intuition instead of society’s success standard. Whenever you’ve offered to sign a job, ask yourself questions like “Is this really a job that I want to do? What can I learn from this position? How is it going to affect my future in a long-term?” and answer those questions honestly by yourself without considering what people say.
- Make goals first before you make plans
Life is barely going as planned. So, instead of making plans, set yourself a list of goals. That list will help you to make plans ahead in your life, but don’t put too many expectations on your own timeline. As cliché as it sounds, you have to trust the universe to make everything happen the way it should.
- Failing doesn’t make you a failure
In adulthood, a failure is something unavoidable. You will get rejected here and there, people will disappoint you and vice versa, and you will be messed up more than once. But, that doesn’t mean that you’re failing your life. Failures are normal and you should experience them in order to survive.
- Chill, everyone is as confused as you are
You don’t need to figure everything out right now. Don’t be afraid of applying something that you’ve never done before and it’s totally okay to feel lost. It’s okay if you haven’t found your passion and you don’t have to do what everyone does. Relax, everybody is confused as well and what really matters is you keep on doing something. Don’t be stuck doing nothing.
In the end, what really matters is your hard work and efforts. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got what you want right now, but always remember that you are exactly where you need to be. Enjoy the process; hard work and persistence will always be paid off.
Featured image via Matthew Feeney on Unsplash
