From college student to adult (The struggle)

Hey guys

So I have officially graduated college last week and received my final transcript. But with that done, I feel a sense of accomplishment but I feel a sense of my life being over. I enjoy IT and already have a job lined up in the next few weeks working full time but I feel a few mixed emotions and I just don't feel ready to be an adult. I know this is weird and you have to at some point but having all these responsibilities and knowing that everything you do now affects the rest of your life, is a lot for me to handle + keeping up with certs life payments all the bullcrap. I just don't feel ready to tackle on the corporate world. I know I have to work to support myself but I just don't know if things at this new/first job will be a disaster and I don't want to get fired. I also can't afford to lose this job because my parents are kicking me out in 2 months. I swear I am going to have a breakdown. Any advice here?

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DoubleNNs

Woosah!
You've got 40 years of your career ahead of you. Take things in strides - 1 day at a time. Don't be afraid of mistakes or failures. Don't stress yourself out more than you need to. Just strive to be the best you can be, and realize you can't do more than that. As long as you wake up every morning and realize that you're a better person than the day prior, you're on the right track.

You're probably a lot further ahead than a lot of your fellow graduates, judging from your passed certifications, activity on this site, and future plans. Take pride and confidence in that.

Your first job realizes you don't have much other professional IT experience and must be willing to train you. Put away your ego and listen as much as possible. Take notes. And be careful and double check anything you do - whether it's a memo being written to a coworker or a command you're about to hit [Enter] on.

Lastly, Growing older is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Congratulations on the graduation! Wishing you a great experience at your new job!

OfWolfAndMan

Firstly, congrats on graduating.

Secondly, congrats on (soon) moving out of the parents' house. Living with your parents up until you're 30 inhibits your mental and spiritual growth most of the time anyway (In my opinion). Be happy they're just now kicking you out. My parents gave me the boot after high school.

Finally, you have a job. I'd say for just graduating, if I were you, I'd be extremely grateful to have a job and be in your situation. While I will say that there is a few things you may be freaking out about (Monthly bills, affording an apartment, making it to work on time, budgeting to an extent), these are not hard after enough repetition is applied. The best way to take on all of these new responsibilities is to plan ahead. If you have a phone (Google or Apple), put it all in your calendar. Recurring reminders for bills. If not, put it on autopay, but note what is on autopay.

Starting your job, don't try to be the entitled guy or the know it all. For the sake of your own good, become a sponge, regardless of how much you know. Even if the people you start working with are complete idiots in the technical world, learning the ways of the company can always be learned by those around you, as can many other things. Dos and don'ts that is. Don't try the entitled play because then your boss (And many other people), may not like how that comes off. If you come into work on time (Missing one here and there because of unforeseen circumstances isn't killer unless your boss is a complete douchebag), show that you're genuinely interested, resilient, willing to learn, and are reliable enough, you'll have nothing to worry about. Just remember that the school mindset and the corporate one are two different things.

You're going to feel overwhelmed initially, but assuming you plan ahead, these bouts of emotion will pass quickly. Heck, there's plenty of people on this forum that work full time (Or longer), go to school, have a kid or two, and still have time to pursue additional certifications! If you're ambitious, optimistic, and driven enough, you'll go above and beyond many of your peers in no time. Just make sure to do it in a moderate manner, and not flaunt it. I wish you well in your future endeavors.

TechGuru80

One of the biggest factors of success in the real world is time and resource management.

You must:
-Budget your expenses. Start an excel spreadsheet and think of anything you "need" (rent, food, etc.) and find a good balance between what you make and what you spend. Remember you need to save money too. Automatically have 401k withdrawn (but only do the max your employer matches). You might do an increasing percent on the 401k per year as well but do not go overboard. There are other ways to save money once you get enough but save a little extra into a savings account for a rainy day as 401k will penalize you heavily if you withdraw before you are around retirement age. Make sure you life within your means (money wise).

-Once your budget is calculated, start thinking about certifications relevant to your job. You have to improve your current value before you can start thinking about the future. A good rule of thumb would be 2-3 certs (or possibly exams like with Cisco) per year. That pace should help you not blow away money and keep you from getting too stressed.

-Have a calendar that you use to manage goals. In the real world it is very easy to lose track of goals because ultimately YOU are the most important (and if you have family such as a wife / kids).

-Do not forget to take a vacation / staycation to relax and relieve frustration. Saving PTO is great but many people end up saving it and never using it...leads to burnout. Have fun outside of work to keep you from focusing purely on work.

-Get enough sleep and eat at normal times / amounts.

-Try to get some type of exercise 2-3x per week at a minimum.

Being a "grownup" can be intimidating especially at first but if you follow the above and balance your life it is not that bad. You will ultimately find what works for you but be disciplined and remember life is a marathon not a race.

techfiend

It's definitely a big change and most people don't feel ready when the time comes but reality hits. If I had to do it over again I'd spend more time focusing on a career then partying. Take it slow but set realistic career goals for yourself, eg mid-level position in 4 years.

As for financials the best advice I can give is find the riskiest roth ira from a proven financial institution and max it out every year. The benefits are huge when you are young and the earlier you get started the more you reap. A maxed roth ira so young should be a comfortable retirement alone but take matched 401k's when you can, consider it a bonus you cant touch for years.

networker050184

I'm still not ready to be a grown up and I've been supporting myself for 15 years now. A lot of good advice here, but remember you only live once and life is short. Find that balance between enjoying yourself and being responsible. All the money in the world in the bank does you no good when you're dead.

[Deleted User]

This forum has a lot of knowledgable and great people and communit. Thanks for your advice! I have made a spreadsheet and my mom dad and I will be working on it once I get my first check. I took a screenshot of all the comments and printed them out and have them in my wallet to remind myself (I'm just odd like that). A few concerns come into play. 1 a lot of my PearsonVUE/Prometric testing centers have been closing left and right so that is a bummer so I will have to work something out. I don't really want to drive 50+ miles for a testing center but 10-15 is good. So I will need to really prep and knock it out on the first attempt. Also, my position at my job is IT Operations Engineer. The job description was odd and didn't help much out and my manager didn't tell me a whole lot about it either. Just a general idea, what does that job title consist of?

techfiend

Engineer is typically used as a high level position, help desk/support -> administrator -> engineer. You have to look at the responsibilities though, job titles in IT can be very confusing.

UnixGuy

Graduated in 2007....still not fully adjusted to adult life, and I've been traveling and moving a lot. The 9-5 corporate life is not for everyone so watch it.

[Deleted User]

I hear you UnixGuy. This is just an odd time for me going from school and certs to just work and certs. It will feel good to say the least. I just don't want to have all the responsibilities of "adult" life. I have had a taste of it like living in an apartment by myself, cleaning, cooking etc. That part is not what is bothering me. It is $$ aspect that sucks a$$ just like every other recent college grad out there.

jvrlopez

Almost 28, been in a professional environment for 7 years, graduated college, served 4 years in the military, and my wife still says that I act like a child! Just live and learn is all that I can recommend for the time being. Have fun but be smart about it.

UnixGuy

kMastaFlash wrote: »

I hear you UnixGuy. This is just an odd time for me going from school and certs to just work and certs. It will feel good to say the least. I just don't want to have all the responsibilities of "adult" life. I have had a taste of it like living in an apartment by myself, cleaning, cooking etc. That part is not what is bothering me. It is $$ aspect that sucks a$$ just like every other recent college grad out there.

Find a way out if you don't like it, that's what I did/do. You don't really have to conform if you don't want to. Everyone will try to suck you in into the daily routine because they're stuck too. The daily grind is not bad, it's just not for everyone. The world is your oyster so you don't have to settle if you don't want to.

kiki162

Welcome to the real world. Wait till you get into your job first, and be prepared to work your butt off. Also start looking for new places to live in the meantime. Once you get your first paycheck, you'll be able to get an idea as to how much you can afford for your new place. You may have to consider getting a second job at some point if the first one isn't covering your expenses.

The fact that you have a job after graduation is a blessing, so consider that to be a good thing in your life. Many of your peers are still at home, and their parents are paying for ALL of their stuff, while some of those parents are trying to figure out...when is my kid gonna get their stuff together and leave!!!

Budgeting is always the hardest thing to do, whether you are renting or buying your first house. Since your new job has already made you an offer, you can already do some initial budgeting and put some figures together as to your take home pay.

At some point once you get a new place, and have been at your job for a while, you'll get an amazing sense of accomplishment and independance. Your parents are doing you a favor, you'll certainly thank them at some point down the road. One thing to remember is to always continue to push yourself and never stop learning.

scaredoftests

Take a breath! You are doing fine. You are very lucky you have a job after graduation. KUDOS.

SaSkiller

The fact is that there is no big change, and there is no point at which you "become" an adult, you simply are in life and have to decide how you will live it. You will always have questions, you will always have questions about what to do.

As far as finances go, start reading Personal Finance and read a few pages and some of the stories in TOP. Figure out how you can pay of any debt you have. Put bills on autopay.

Start planning your career, when are you going to ask for promotions, what skills you want to develop, where is the industry is going.

Start planning your life, save money, see if you can find someone to live your life with but don't worry about it.

Congrats on starting your life, don't **** it up, but you'll be fine.

MrAgent

You could always try and join the military as an Officer. That'll make you grow up pretty quick.

N2IT

Get your masters at the same school and party for 2 more years.

kiki162

LOL @ Mr Agent - They grow up quick...but those kids (LT's) still do party regardless. Just don't make the mistake of getting married too young as that is the culture for most.

UnixGuy

N2IT wrote: »

Get your masters at the same school and party for 2 more years.

or party every night after work from 7:00pm to 1:00 am (it's what I do....)

GoodBishop

jvrlopez wrote: »

Almost 28, been in a professional environment for 7 years, graduated college, served 4 years in the military, and my wife still says that I act like a child! Just live and learn is all that I can recommend for the time being. Have fun but be smart about it.

Heck, I'm 34, and my wife wonders how I managed to survive, let alone dress myself, before I met her.

OP, don't worry about it. Just find out what you like doing, work hard at your job, and get a good foundation on what you want to do for your career/life. It takes time to figure it out.

Mishra

If you like accomplishment which I get the feeling you do, then the adult life is FULL of it.

I just had my first child and she is absolutely amazing.

There is a lot of accomplishment ahead of you for money as well. Don't let it stress you out. Make it a goal to increase yourself and align yourself to a better salary.

It doesn't take much to feel comfortable. When I pushed myself and started making 65K, I was very happy. You can get there in IT -easily- so this is definitely the right direction.