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Post by lizzie on Jun 29, 2015 10:42:25 GMT -5
I'm going to be a senior as well and besides parties and the occasional drunken mistake I'm a little concerned about where to go when all that stuff is gone and not acceptable anymore.
Anybody have any insight?
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Post by td on Jun 29, 2015 10:54:41 GMT -5
I graduated from college in 2009. I had an incomplete at the time so I took another year to turn in a few final papers & officially secure the last credit needed to back up the certificate that they gave me. In the end, this worked out well for me as I wasn't ready to leave town or the support system I had here & the incomplete stretched my access to student work. At IU, you can keep your student worker positions six months after graduation but due to my incomplete, I was able to keep those jobs for an additional year & a half which suited my lifestyle very well.
One of the libraries that I work at is funded independently from the University even though its an IU institution. So, I'm able to keep working here even though I'm no longer a student but as I posted two weeks ago, funding for hourly positions is unstable & I'm about to enter a very tumultuous time here with no promise of work come May 2016. I've been holding on because my bosses have told me several times that they're trying to create a staff position for me here & I feel that this is my best shot at an IU staff position in the library & archives--my dream.
But I have to work 2-3 jobs at a time to make ends meet. I'm involved in community projects that mean a lot to me but sometimes feel stale. I feel like I don't have mobility because I don't have the money or job security it takes to take time off to travel or even buy a car for weekend trips. And my life is so schedule bound that its difficult to find enough free time to really relax. I feel like I'm always preparing for my next commitment. I see friends post online about their lives since graduating & leaving town & though many have struggled, they're seeing more of the world than I am. I'm jealous & long to break this work-a-day cycle but I'm afraid to leave what little stability I have created for myself here. I've been focusing hard on saving money so that I can buy a house and/or a car but sometimes I think maybe I should set a hard savings goal & move away when its met. Force myself to leave this town & live out in the world but do it with a strong savings cushion so that I don't feel totally reckless.
My best friend finished his PhD two years ago & moved to Connecticut where he secured an entry-level professor position. I was supposed to move to CT with him but at the time I had no money & a lot of credit card debt. I decided to stay here in town & really focus on paying off my debt & building a moving fund. I struggled a lot to transition my lifestyle in this direction, made so much harder by most of my friends moving away. Twice I have nearly packed my bags & bought a one-way ticket to CT. The first time, a friend talked me out of it because I really wasn't prepared financially & was locked in to a lease. The second time I was out of debt with a little bit of money saved and no lease. I was ready. But my friend said, "Hold on, you know I want you here but I'm applying for different jobs & I don't know how this is going to turn out. Wait." Honestly, that terrified me because this whole time he had been reassuring me that he wanted me to come, there would always be space, & I could come anytime I was ready. Then suddenly what I feared happened--he changed his mind. I knew from the beginning that it was a lot to put on someone else so I'm not upset at him or anything. I was just sort of heartbroken & scared. I started saving more money with the idea that if I could buy a house, I could create a solid place for myself here in town & at least have some housing security. Things aren't panning out how I had hoped, though. I don't think I will be approved for the house that I want. My hours at the library are being reduced & seem to be reaching a dead end. I work part time at a corner store on a night shift. This is not where I thought I would be at this point in my life.
Last night my friend was texting me that he is definitely going to be there for another year & I should come now. But now I'm seeing someone here in town who is dedicated to staying. She grew up here. Her family & friends are here. She owns a house & a business here. This is a new relationship but I don't want to throw it away & I don't think that a long-distance relationship is a good idea at this point nor do I think that she would accept this.
All of this is to say that life after college has felt like a struggle. I'm still here & I don't know if I should be or not. I think about this ALL THE TIME. I have no idea what I'm doing, what I want to do, or where I should be. Honestly, every day is difficult & full of tough questions & uncertainties.
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Post by td on Jun 29, 2015 12:00:53 GMT -5
I mean, not to depress or further stress y'all...just sayin.
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Post by JC on Jun 29, 2015 12:22:03 GMT -5
I mean, not to depress or further stress y'all...just sayin. I think if you moved on from the college life you'd be happier.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2015 14:16:55 GMT -5
unlike u old goons I'm starting my first semester of college in August
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Phil
Challenge Legend
Posts: 3,316
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Post by Phil on Jun 29, 2015 20:28:52 GMT -5
y'all will be fine. the world is a much better place now than it was just a few years ago. like td, i graduated in 2009. people our age were dealt a bad hand with the economy, and very few people could find suitable jobs until 2011. i recognize the sacrifices td has had to make to basically keep himself afloat. he's not alone. however, 2011 is when i started seeing things turn around for myself and a lot of other people that i know. that's when i started my career with the national park service and i've been here ever since. now i see undergraduate students getting paid professional internships while in college, which was virtually unheard of when i was in school (after the recession in 2008). so, there's my advice. seek out professional internships. a lot are paid now, so you don't even have to settle for being someone's office b*tch. find an internship that suits your professional interests that would be directly transferable to a job. many companies and organizations hire interns straight out of their internships now. even as a working professional, i did summer internships to get my foot in the door to places that have really paid off for me. with that being said, experience is way more important than pay right out of college. even with the daunting student loan bills that people are faced with, it *does* get better over time. and lizzie ... parties and drunken mistakes are not exclusive to college life. you'll be fine
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Post by Coke on Jul 17, 2015 16:12:36 GMT -5
I just got a call from my top college choice. That's pretty cool. IDK if I'll be able to go there though. My GPA so far isn't on point, but my major is hella finna there and I can probably get some scholarship money for singing. We will see what happens.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2015 7:06:25 GMT -5
Well I got approved for my loan and I put my notice in at work. I've been planning my move for about 6 months but it seems so surreal that's its happening. I have three weeks left in this sh*t hole.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2015 2:37:34 GMT -5
Well I'm going back to school this month. A little excited because it gives me something to do and focus on again.
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Post by td on Aug 17, 2015 7:18:54 GMT -5
Well I'm going back to school this month. A little excited because it gives me something to do and focus on again. What are you studying?
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Kaitlyn
3-Time Champ
I definitely don't like you.
Posts: 7,908
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Post by Kaitlyn on Aug 17, 2015 10:03:50 GMT -5
I move in Saturday night and the only things I've thought about are what type of alcohol I want and what I should wear to hang out with a boy
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Post by Bryan on Aug 17, 2015 10:18:21 GMT -5
I move in Saturday night and the only things I've thought about are what type of alcohol I want and what I should wear to hang out with a boy me
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Post by Jhonmarco on Aug 17, 2015 10:20:07 GMT -5
Just looked at my schedule for the semester and had a little anxiety attack tbh.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2015 11:14:06 GMT -5
Well I'm going back to school this month. A little excited because it gives me something to do and focus on again. What are you studying? Office Administration and Technology.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2015 11:14:18 GMT -5
I move in Saturday night and the only things I've thought about are what type of alcohol I want and what I should wear to hang out with a boy me Same
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Post by Deleted on Aug 17, 2015 17:34:32 GMT -5
Lol i still have a month till I start
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Post by Nate on Aug 17, 2015 17:41:15 GMT -5
Lol i still have a month till I start Lucky. We start September 1st I think, but University of Chicago doesn't start till like October...like how does that make sense...
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Kaitlyn
3-Time Champ
I definitely don't like you.
Posts: 7,908
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Post by Kaitlyn on Aug 17, 2015 17:49:06 GMT -5
I only move in Saturday for stupid job training for my stupid job
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Post by briqsquad on Aug 17, 2015 17:58:27 GMT -5
Lol i still have a month till I start Lucky. We start September 1st I think, but University of Chicago doesn't start till like October...like how does that make sense... because they end in like mid june and they run the quarter system
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Post by Bryan on Aug 17, 2015 18:00:02 GMT -5
I start a week from now. Scary.
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