They Never Mentioned These Brutal Truths About Life After College And Now I'm Sobbing In My Car

It's a never ending loop of 'I want to travel' and 'I need a job to travel'.

I learnt this the hard way, because no one told me about this! 

This was when I realized that it was not just me—it was all other fresh graduates who took 2-3 weeks just for themselves. Because real life doesn't really give you breaks, you take what you can get without much stress.

And trust me, even those 2-3 weeks of absolute bliss and impromptu plans are not enough. I had a whole list of things I wanted to do before I started to feel the pressure of finding a job. Watching films, going out, trying out new restaurants, going to the gym, etc. But nobody really told me that the only thing you end up doing during that time is sleep. 

My advice is: just do the things you've wanted to do and enjoy your time, or you'll regret it!

Trust me, I didn't know anything about applying to jobs. The only thing I did know about was LinkedIn. And that meant spending hours making my profile as perfect as it could get, so that recruiters would magically call me and give me my dream job. 

A few days of scrolling and posting inspirational quotes on LinkedIn burst my bubble. LinkedIn connections don't mean anything. Even if you reach out to them in hopes for an internship or advice, you won't get any. Moral of the story: people are too busy to reply and LinkedIn is just for show. 

My advice is: Prepare your resume and draft the perfect cold emails — and start reaching out. 

Barely a week into looking for jobs seriously and you feel like you hit a dead end already. I wallowed in self-pity and doubt thinking, "Who would even hire me?"

This is a dangerous phase. Nothing kills dreams like self-doubt. 

This overthinking doesn't let you enjoy your much-deserved time off, and makes you so petrified that you stop applying for jobs altogether. 

My advice is: Simply realizing that job hunting requires patience — just go out and enjoy this free time (because it is rare and you won't get it again).

It was when I finally realized that lazing around is not helping, that I decided to get myself together and seriously job hunt. 

And that switch in mindset made me so passionate, that I made myself believe I am the best candidate to be hired and I wrote my resume and portfolio in the same way. I did lie about a few skills here and there — but it doesn't matter if they can sense my desire and passion for work. 

I would later realize that 100 applications per day is a stretch, and borderline annoying.

My advice is: Stick to your top companies and jobs, and email them instead of random organizations around the world. 

I thought I had done a great job with those emails and reaching out. I was giving myself a pat on the back. But then the rejection emails starting entering my inbox. 

It quite literally shattered my ego and confidence. I tried lying to myself thinking, "It's not that bad", but it was, indeed, that bad.

Of course, when you are the one applying, you would never think it is you who would get rejected. But rejections are common. Given today's carppy job market, it's slim pickings.

My advice is: Rejection does not mean you've failed in life — it's just that you were not aligned for that job. So, it's okay. Cry and vent it out. But get yourself back up, because kid, that's life!

I know that the interview process can be long and tedious. I wasn't aware of just how long it can be.

Firstly, no one can really tell you how to successfully give interviews — and then you find out that the entire process consists of 5 interviews with different people, sometimes including assignments. At this point, it's the fear of not having a job and speaking to upper management and answering their questions.

And sometimes, even after everything is done and you think you did a good job — you don't get the position. That is the first brutal lesson of 'patience is key' when entering adulthood. (It really took everything in me not to scream out loud).

My advice is: Bear through it and keep doing your best and learn from your mistakes. Speak to your college seniors and ask them for tips on how to ace an interview. And the biggest one to remember is: NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF!

After the countless rejections and waiting for days to get a response, I realized that college is great. And I regretted complaining about the endless lectures and teachers and what not. So much so that I looked at other degrees to pursue. 

Maybe a diploma, a certificate, a Masters maybe. And just when you start to get excited about going back to school, you look at the exorbitant fees and your dreams stop right there. 

Why is the fees for a certificate course more expensive than one semester of college? 

The daunting realization that everything is going to require money ,and to get money, you need a job — it's a vicious cycle of hell which I and everyone else absolutely hates. 

My advice is: Instead of pursuing a degree all together, try your hand at freelancing and work on the skills you know you are good at. 

I used to complain about nepo babies, but now, I wanted to be one.

I don't want to work—just heaps of generational wealth keeping me alive for 80 good years. 

I understand the appeal of having connections and not having to file resumes and give interviews. I want that, I need that — hell, I deserve that!

My advice is: It's okay to have such aspirations, but it ain't real. Pull yourself together!

This stage is always bittersweet, but it's something we all come to realize at the end of this turbulent ride of figuring out post-college life. 

This is just how life is — it's unfair at times, sweet at times, and just brutal, often. But you will make it out alive. 

So kids, I leave you with this advice: It's not the end of the world if it takes time to get a job. Enjoy the time you have, because the next 40 years look like you, a laptop, and a dwindling will to thrive.