Life After College: One Year Later…

May 11, 2010 2:00 pm     Posted in Entertainment, HaHa, Reality  Jenni - Syracuse g+ page

Time flies when you're eating ramen and working 9-6.

A year ago I was packing up my college apartment, saving my most memorable theme party costumes (sexy dining hall worker didn’t go over as well as I thought it would), and crying in the most unattractive wipe-your-snot-on-your-sleeve fashion. As far as I knew it my life was completely over. I was jobless, destitute, and way too close to sober.


By Jenni

The only thing I had to look forward to was forcing my family to sit through Powerpoint presentations I made titled, “The top ten nights I should have died from alcohol poisoning,” “Nine reasons showing up to class drunk is only fun in the movies,” and “Any sibling that doesn’t get me a graduation gift shouldn’t act surprised when I ruin their wedding 10 years down the road.” I truly believed there was no reason to keep on living. And that was only reinforced when I was forced to sit next to a morbidly obese woman who took up half my seat on the plane ride home from Syracuse.

But yet I’m still here and alive an entire year later. And turns out, despite my best efforts to get a homeless man to push me in front of a bus last summer, life does go on after you graduate.

Somehow, during this crazy year that I partially blacked-out due to depression, I survived living with my grandparents for five months. I survived 8+ Craigslists-interviews-turned-murder-mysteries. And I survived having to tell people that I was interning after graduation. Sure there were tears and overly nostalgic Facebook wall posts and bitter feelings when your friends got hired before you did — but at the end of the worst year of my life, I’m proud to say I have an apartment, a job, and a 100% money back guarantee if E-Harmony can’t find me a husband before Memorial day.

Life after college is not what I expected it would be. I didn’t buy my work wardrobe exclusively from J.Crew and potential employers didn’t flood my inbox just because I had a bachelor’s degree. I didn’t go into my major after spending four years and three internships throwing myself into it. And I most certainly did not get a stable job with any sort of benefits (medical or sexual).

Here’s the thing that I wish people had told me when I graduated: have lower than no expectations, prepare for misery, depression, and a sudden obsession with the most emo Dashboard Confessional songs. Your frown will most certainly not be turning upside down. And then when you least expect it, you’ll be on your way to work one day or you’ll be reading Facebook statues about how much exams suck or you’ll be looking at pictures of your little sister dressed for a god-knows-what theme party and think to yourself, “wow I’m kinda of a grown-up and I kinda like it.”

Life after college is full of surprises. It’s about realizing that you don’t need to go out 8 nights a week and that you actually can survive on store-brand items.  It’s about having a desire to iron your clothes before you go out in public and it’s about narrating your blogs aloud as you write them in an English accent. It’s about coming to hate Sex and the City for making up a fantasy world that doesn’t exist and it’s about finding yourself attracted to the beggar outside your building that always calls you pretty girl.

I set out to fill this final blog with life lessons, inspirational quotes, and memorable catchphrases. But then I remembered that I’m just ending a blog series and not writing the Cosby Show series finale. I can barely get through a workday without taking 9 Facebook breaks, let alone leave my 6 loyal readers with any kind of worthwhile advice.

The best I can offer you is to always remember that a stitch in time, saves nine. But unless you’re a 19th century seamstress, I doubt that offers you anything. It’s time for me to let another clinically depressed post-grad take over my series. I’ve already moved on to better things…like sending in daily applications to be the next Activia spokesperson.

But if you’re determined to keep up with my life (or if you’re my mom who begged me not to use my full name online like I’m a 13-year-old girl posting bikini pics on Myspace), check out my brand new personal blog. It’s a sight for sore eyes — or so I say to myself whenever I look in the mirror after a good Saturday night.

34 Comments on "Life After College: One Year Later…"

  1. Lizzy says:
    Tue, 11th May 201010:14 am 

    I've loved reading your posts this year and am going to miss them! You have such an awesome sense of humor. Best of luck continuing your post-grad life! =)

  2. Maria says:
    Tue, 11th May 201011:47 am 

    This is incredibly amusing; I am giggling to myself in the library as angry students shoot me dirty looks.

  3. Stephanie says:
    Tue, 11th May 201012:14 pm 

    I am going to miss your posts! Good Luck!

  4. Toni says:
    Tue, 11th May 20101:19 pm 

    This blog was basically my life for the past 12 months. Cheers to you! We are big kids now!

  5. Robin says:
    Tue, 11th May 20104:24 pm 

    Love your writing style and humor. Best of luck!
    http://www.decor-2-ur-door.com

  6. sanya says:
    Tue, 11th May 20105:30 pm 

    NOOO! i will miss your posts so much! i will definitely follow your personal blog. :)

  7. Crissy says:
    Tue, 11th May 20105:36 pm 

    Absolutely LOVED reading your blog this past year. I felt like you were narrating my life some days. Good luck being a grown-up.. lord knows it ain't easy. I look forward to reading your new blog because College Candy isn't turning into Post Grad Candy anytime soon, and its always good to see that I'm not the only post grad that didn't expect life after college to be what it is.

  8. Shar says:
    Tue, 11th May 20105:43 pm 

    I am fairly devastated over the fact that this blog is ending…Is it pathetic if I say I get my "fix" each week reading it? You are so talented and so funny. I have no doubt you will achieve every success you dream of.

    There's a lot of pressure (from me) on this so called "personal new blog"…Good luck!!!

  9. L says:
    Tue, 11th May 20106:17 pm 

    SO. I just went to read your blog and was happily surprised to find that you studied abroad in Spain. I did too (Barcelona. But I spent a few days in Madird. que guay haha) !! And a year later I'm still obsessed with it and want to go back SO freaking bad. And then when I began reading your blogs about it, I was literally LOLing in my room- because it brings back so many old memories. The crazy host-mother, daydreaming about American food, and most definitely informing everyone, whether they liked it or not (they didn't), how in Spain …blah blah blah…

    but on a side note- I've really enjoyed reading your blogs, but now I'm kind of depressed about my future (at least for a year). I hope it isn't that bad :/

  10. regina says:
    Wed, 12th May 20102:14 pm 

    NOOOOOOOOOOOO

    You're so funny, I miss your posts already. I think you will be famous one day!!!

  11. Geraldo Woyahn says:
    Sun, 12th Sep 201012:49 am 

    I like Ones style guys

  12. Chris says:
    Thu, 28th Oct 20106:13 am 

    I stumbled upon this blog because I had started one similar to it. I've been trying to write little entries to help people out should they go searching for answers on the internet. I graduated in May of 2010 from a small liberal arts college in Kentucky. So far, I've only been able to survive through odd jobs and seasonal work (fireworks stands and halloween stores) offered up by friends. However, I do have a potential job in the works that I care nothing about. Should I get hired, I'll do my best. If anyone should find interest in this comment, you can find my blog at rainschris.wordpress.com . Leave some comments, ask questions.

  13. Female Reproductive says:
    Sun, 31st Oct 20105:26 pm 

    i admire Craig Newark of craiglists because he became a milionaire in such a short time .

  14. Danny says:
    Wed, 10th Nov 201011:26 pm 

    As much I hate this blog post for it's immaturity, I fucking love it. I mean, it chronicles a typical college student mentality and exposes the brilliant fact that life will move on. Change is inevitable and you embraced it wonderfully. Congratulatons, this is well-done.

  15. Amanda says:
    Wed, 6th Apr 201111:31 pm 

    Thank you for writing this. Seriously.

  16. Dani Burgess says:
    Mon, 11th Jul 20119:58 am 

    great blog. very similair to InVEST Nebraska's blogger about her college experiences and tribulations. Should also check her out. She's great to follow http://www.investne.org

  17. lizzine says:
    Thu, 27th Oct 20118:21 pm 

    lol 6 loyal readers ^_^ make that 7

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