[Life after college is hard. Like really hard. But it's not so hard that you should curl up in a ball and watch E! marathons all day long. Not only are we covering the experience from a first-hand perspective, but we're now covering it from a how-to-survive-it perspective. Every week, we're going to bringing the best advice to getting through your first post-grad year. Because sometimes, your grandmother's "just go to law school" advice just doesn't cut it.]

I know how the scenario goes. They put that college diploma in your hand on graduation day, you walk across the stage with your head held high and you think, “This is it. I made it.” Fast-forward to two months later, you’re sweating bullets selling ice cream cones at the town pool’s snack bar. And they said you needed a degree for this?

It’s true. Sometimes the path to achieving your dreams is filled with potholes and pit stops. One of the hardest lessons they don’t teach you in school is how not to lose hope when the going gets…questionable. Surely you know you can’t just wake up and become a best-selling author/award-winning scientist/brilliant businesswoman. These things take work, of course, but they also take time. And a lot of that interim time is spent taking care of the here-and-now. You know- the bills that don’t pay themselves, the post-grad internships and part-time jobs that are often necessary (albeit frustrating), the living with Mom and Dad (again).

Anyone will tell you, the road to becoming J.K. Rowling or Marie Curie or Martha Stewart isn’t an expressway. (Repeat that to yourself every time your successful future feels too far away.) You’ve got a lot of dues to pay before you can reach the top. So what if you’re biding your time babysitting for spare cash? Who cares if you got roped into an internship that isn’t quite in the field you’d like to work?

Jim Carrey used to be a janitor. Chris Rock bussed tables at Red Lobster. Jennifer Aniston got cursed out on the reg as a telemarketer. Rachael Ray worked behind a freakin’ Macy’s candy counter.

Clearly, it’s not what you’re doing, but what you’re taking away from it. Think discipline, responsibility, work ethics and amazingly hilarious stories about the fat kid who belly flopped onto his little brother. Much like Rome, character isn’t built in a day. When you’re up on stage accepting your first award years from now, you’ll be glad you’ve got a substantial library of jokes to reference about the good ol’ days.

I just spent an entire weekend without doing any of these three things: working out in post-binge eating guilt, waking up completely hungover and crawling out of my bed like the girl from ‘The Ring’, and waiting in an extremely long line at the bar.  I did, however, manage to buy my own plant (complete with pot) for my deck, see two movies (in the theater!), and go out to brunch for croissants and Bloodys. The scariest part about brunch? I ended it with a plain coffee.  There is a first time for everything, people, even killing a day-buzz with caffeine.

Essentially, my maturity grew ten sizes this weekend. Not that I had been acting like a complete idiot since I’ve graduated, but this is definitely the first full weekend with my maturity pants on, zipped and buttoned.  Not to mention, summer really seems to be kicking its mighty heels in my face, and this combined with full-fledged maturity is something I’m not used to.

Usually, summer is a three-month free-for-all once school is out. In college, I could go back to barely keeping my plain-Jane job at the local restaurant at home, make nice with old high school friends, have a summer fling, and then go right back to the college grind.

But this summer marks my first “real life summer.”  I’m not going back to college in September, I’m not a fresh-off-the-skillet-graduate, and well…it’s my first summer at a big girl job where I actually have entire weekends (instead of standing at a host stand on a Saturday night during my ‘college summer’ trying to make enough money to support my McDonald’s Iced Tea addiction) to soak up the summer glory.

So far, Post-Grad: Summer Edition is pretty great. Weekends don’t seem as saturated as they were during college summers, in a way where they blended in with the weekdays.  As a post-grad, weekends are prominent and highly anticipated. You go to your cabin. You road trip to the nearest city to get away. You engage yourself in a dozen happy hours a day. You go on walks on Saturday afternoons. You sip coffee on the porch while reading the New York Times Facebook. I live for my little weekends.  And since all of my friends have the same grown-up schedule, I get to see them more often! Praise the grown-up heavens!

Instead of scrambling to get home to see long lost high school friends at local bars and hang out in my childhood room reading old Box Car Children books out of boredom, I have been pleasantly productive, blissfully relaxed and totally uninterrupted by anyone/anything that comes my way.

I hung out with my mother, went to brunch, saw a bajillion movies in the theater (OK, two), went horseback riding, cooked and drank beers with my girlfriends, read the entire Tina Fey book (highly recommended) and painted my toenails pink. Oh, and I bought the Adele CD and drank Starbucks on my deck under the sun. Alone. If this is what my summer is going to entail, lemme have at it!

However, I know those days where I drink with old high school friends and stare at the walls in my parents’ house aren’t over. I can still find that little college outlet of happiness if need be (and when Sunday Funday comes around, the need will definitely be). But for now, I’m squeezing myself into a nice little part of my life where I’m discovering an intense love for finding cool recipes and trying them, vintage shopping, getting twenty hours of sleep in two days and spending a whole entire weekend in the summer relaxing. Thinking about pointless nuggets of life. Analyzing lyrics in music. Counting the freckles on my face. Treading water in my apartment pool. Writing in a journal. Cutting my own watermelon.

You know, the new things in life where I’m now finding my zen.

Because it’s OK if the only people I see are my family, a few close friends and my reflection for one weekend. I think summer as a grown up may be my new favorite thing.

[Life after college is hard. Like really hard. But it's not so hard that you should curl up in a ball and watch E! marathons all day long. Not only are we covering the experience from a first-hand perspective, but we're now covering it from a how-to-survive-it perspective. Every week, we're going to bringing the best advice to getting through your first post-grad year. Because sometimes, your grandmother's "just go to law school" advice just doesn't cut it.]

If I were to say “post-grad internship,” would you shudder in disgust or tackle me with five different copies of your resume and a cover letter proofread by Katie Couric?

Much like cilantro, the notion of working for a small stipend (or…gasp!…for free) tends to separate people into two groups. You’ve got those who wholeheartedly support it, and those who can’t run away fast enough. And, unlike happy hour at Dos Margaritas, there’s rarely tequila around the office to help you chase away the taste of shame that comes with being a post-grad intern.

Despite how it may sound, I actually do in fact think internships are a worthwhile endeavor, even after graduation. But you’ve got to be smart about where you accept a spot, if you can financially afford to do so, and all that jazz. So before you tell me I’m crazy for suggesting you throw away your first summer out of college working for peanuts…or before you jump into an internship that might not be right for you…see how things measure up for you in my handy dandy pro-con list:

Pros of a Post- Grad Internship

-Seeing if “what you want to do” is really what you want to do. Priceless.

-Networking. Sure, it’s an overused idea, but it really can make a difference in the end. You never know who’s got a cousin that works for Obama’s niece dog walker and could maybe get you an interview with the guy who delivers the newspapers to the White House.

-Flexibility. Because it’s not a job, per se, you can still actively look for work while interning and not feel guilty if you have to take a day off for an interview.

-Keeping your resume active. There’s nothing worse than a blank space after graduation. Soon enough an interviewer is going to be asking what you did during that missing chunk. Answering with, “Uhh…I worked at the local florist and sat by the pool in my free time,” isn’t going to wow anyone’s socks off. (Though, to all you haters out there, it is admirable to find a paid part-time job.)

-References. The currency of the professional world. The more people you come across early on in your career (ahem: via internships) who like you, the more people you’ll have to go to bat for you when the time comes that someone’s looking over your resume for a “real job.”

-Openings. Just because a company isn’t hiring a full-time person right now, doesn’t mean they won’t be looking in the near future. And who better to hire than the person who’s already working there, trained and ready to go? Case in point: me! I did a post-grad internship right here at CollegeCandy and guess what? I just got hired as their new content editor!

Cons of a Post-Grad Internship

-The money. The most obvious of drawbacks…that is, unless you’re part of the lucky 3% of interns who get some crazy large stipend. Realistically, you’ll be working for minimum wage or your transportation costs (if that much). Not exactly luxurious.

-There’s a chance you’ll be getting coffee for people the same age as you. And as much as you’ll want to give them the finger and tell them to take their condescending stares elsewhere, you’ll have to go with the flow.

-40-Year-Old Intern Syndrome. You may not believe me now, but there comes a point in all post-grad internships when you question your life path a little bit, even if you’re helping out at your dream company working with inspiring individuals. Trust me. When your college friends start to land “adult” jobs (ie: the ones that pay a salary) and move out of their parents’ homes, you’ll end up drinking too much one night and find yourself in front of your bathroom mirror looking for wrinkles, wondering when your turn will come for an actual career. It ain’t pretty, especially when you notice the Cheetos dust around your mouth, but it’s the truth.

And there you have it. The pro-con list that could launch a thousand resumes and internship applications into inboxes everywhere. Or not. Wherever you come down on the fence, recognize it’s a personal choice. What works for me might not work for you or your best friend from second grade whose dad hooked her up with a job at The View. More important than comparing your career path to those around you is knowing (or trying to know…just a teensy bit) where you want to go and what you want to do. So tackle that, then we’ll talk.

When I look back to being a little tike, I was this needy biznatch with sticky fingers and a demand issue. “Mama, get me my big wheel from the garage, come stick this straw into my Capri Sun, push me on the swing set!”  I didn’t bat an eyelash when I wanted something to be done in my honor.  Life was simple and all about me; I saw what I wanted of my future and demanded I have it right then and there. If a little snot-nosed brat at my daycare gave me the stank eye, I’d give it right back and take a triumphant swig from my sippy cup.

What happened to that relentless passion for demanding what I want?

Nowadays, my mouth is politely sealed. Granted, life has changed since I was riding dirty in my Big Wheel and crapping in my own pants on a normal basis…but why can’t I resort to that unapologetic attitude to get what I want?

Lately, I can’t count all the times I’ve bitten my tongue in a situation. When I was younger and I liked someone, I would blurt it to their face at Sunday school and we’d be dating the next day. Nowadays, I can’t seem to tell anyone how I feel until the very last minute, or when it’s too late. I recently ended up hurting someone because I couldn’t grow the balls to tell them how I truly felt. How did I let it come to that? Where are all these shy and timid feelings coming from?

Ever since graduating from college, when it comes to getting what I want, I’ve been very…careful.  In the back of my mind, I have this vision that I have so much time left to figure out the right way and time to say these things.  I’m only twenty-four, after all! Like, sometimes I’m in a meeting at work and have a brilliant idea, or I’ll be sitting with the guy I really like and want to tell him he makes me relaxed and happy, or a friend betrays me. And what do I do? Nothing.

Then I walk away and berate myself for keeping my lips sealed.

I think my timid behavior has something to do with me being a brand new investment. (Just stay with me here.) At a new job, I’m young and not as experienced as others might be. I’ll have a genius idea, at least I think it’s genius, but I get scared to speak up, worried that someone else could have better ideas than me and others will compare and judge me.  With a new guy, I don’t want to say something too soon because he barely knows me and could back off….quickly.

But while I could be an investment to others, how much of a personal investment do I want to put into any situation for myself?  I have to be willing to take a chance.  That’s what investments are.  If I’m honestly feeling a certain way about something, I should say it in front of the people that matter to me. I mean, if they’ve invested in me, they should want to hear it, right? No one at my job is going to slap my hand for a creative idea.  No man should shy away from an innocent peek-a-boo of feelings.  And if they don’t like what I have to say, that’s their loss.

College, from class discussions to student groups to drunken parties, was all about speaking up. Sure, I felt more confident doing it there (which might have had something to do with Liquid Courage), but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t stand up and do the same now. I may be new to this whole post-grad life thing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the experience, knowledge and skills to be here. I have lots to say and people should want to hear it, damn it!

Which is exactly what I’m going to tell myself whenever I feel the urge to bite my tongue again. Now, more than ever, I need to fight for what I want, whether it’s a meaningful relationship,  a promotion at work or someone to help me stick that damn straw in my Capri Sun.

Yes, I still drink Capri Sun.

It’s finally happening. Hard as you tried to push it off, you’re graduating. You are taking the big steps, literally, across the stage and into adulthood. To prepare for the big day, you chug a beer spend all morning primping, getting your hair perfectly curled, ironing your new dress, fixing your shoes. Then you cover it all up with that big, overpriced black gown. The gown that could easily fit two more people.

You look at yourself in disgust, then complain to your mom. “I look like a giant square!” you whine. So she soothes you in that sweet, motherly way. Well, unless it’s my mom then it’s an “Everyone does, get over it” kind of way.

True Story: No matter how bangin’ your bod or how figure-friendly your outfit, there’s nothing flattering about a graduation gown. But when you’re standing outside as your grandparents snap 1,637 pictures of you lookin’ round and squat in that rayon muumuu, you can at least take solace in the fact that you’re not wearing this:

Really, though, regardless of what you wear or how much you sweat under that gown, congratulations on this major accomplishment. No, really. We know what you’ve been up to for the past 4 years, so congrats on making it out alive…and ready to take on the real world. Yay, you!

I'm a big kid now!

I’ve spent my entire life blaming other things for my misdoings.

I ate your entire loaf of Cottage Bread last night while making toast on the George Foreman?  I blame it on the a-a-a-alcohol.  I cried during every scene of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?  I blame it on my intense emotional monthly girly pains. I was pulled over doing 58 in a 40 on my way home from work?  I blame it on my lead foot and my dire need to catch the last five minutes of Glee.  I got in an argument with my man-friend in front of a breakfast buffet at a hotel downtown at 6:30 a.m…. in front of an innocent family? Totally his fault.

The sad thing about the entire previous paragraph is the fact that all of the things above actually happened to me in the last week. I promise, I’m a grown up graduate!

Anyway, after reading that embarrassing list of faux pas, I’ve reached a revelation in my life: taking responsibility for my actions. I need to stop passing blame on others/alcohol/my emotions and finally take the blame for myself. This seems like a simple philosophy; didn’t I learn that in daycare fifteen years ago when I learned I was falling off the slide because I wasn’t, in fact, Wonderwoman?

The thing is, I’ve finally discovered that responsibility is more than just having it.  While I should be responsible, I need to learn to step forward and take responsibility for things I do. I mean, looking back, my man-friend did not deserve my rapid arm gestures that nearly knocked over the dry croissants at the hotel breakfast buffet the other morning.

Obviously, owning up to my own actions is most important when it comes to my big-girl job.  I can’t point my finger at my co-workers about something that could be my fault.  I’m not going to lie, I let a few group projects in college pass without owning up to my own mistakes.  I figured if I didn’t say anything, my group members would assume someone else messed up, kind of like the ‘whoever smelt it dealt it’ scenario. But that shiz doesn’t work in the real world. Not when there are real problems that need to be solved and my career to consider.

But taking responsibility doesn’t end at 5 o’clock when I speed home from work so I can watch Friends reruns; it’s important in my relationship as well.  For example, instead of getting completely twisted when my man-friend gets mad at me for “no reason,” I need to look at things from his perspective.  What am I missing? Did I do something to get the ball rolling towards total buffet warfare? If I sit back and take responsibility for saying the wrong words to offend him (as opposed to assuming everything is his fault) that leaves a lot of room for growth and understanding. Both for myself and for my relationship.

New life outlook considered, one thing I want to remain aware of is that my growing sense of responsibility should not be confused with a growing sense of guilt.  Although I may be responsible for some wrongdoings, that does not mean I should feel guilty when I mess up.  I make mistakes, just like everyone else in this world.  Taking responsibility for absolutely everything shouldn’t be my main concern; I just want to be aware of the fact that I’m not always blameless and that some of the things that happen in my life are indeed because of me.

Of course, that being said, I will try not to apologize too often for failing to maintain a perfectly trimmed “responsibility garden.”  Conquering responsibilities does not mean I should let anyone walk all over me. I need to learn to stand up for myself and make a real effort to be around those who appreciate me just the way I am. A responsible adult.

Whether you’re graduating this spring or you’re hunting for a summer internship, you’re probably stressed about acing your interviews. To help alleviate some of that stress, we reached out to the experts from Excelle and asked them for their tips on making a great first impression. Check back every Thursday for more helpful career tips and articles!

By Carole Martin, Monster Contributing Writer

Too many job seekers stumble through interviews as if the questions are coming out of left field. But many interview questions are to be expected. Study this list and plan your answers ahead of time so you’ll be ready to deliver them with confidence.

1. What Are Your Weaknesses?

This is the most dreaded question of all. Handle it by minimizing your weakness and emphasizing your strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits: “I am always working on improving my communication skills to be a more effective presenter. I recently joined Toastmasters, which I find very helpful.”

2. Why Should We Hire You?

Summarize your experiences: “With five years’ experience working in the financial industry and my proven record of saving the company money, I could make a big difference in your company. I’m confident I would be a great addition to your team.”

3. Why Do You Want to Work Here?

The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you’ve given this some thought and are not sending out resumes just because there is an opening. For example, “I’ve selected key companies whose mission statements are in line with my values, where I know I could be excited about what the company does, and this company is very high on my list of desirable choices.”

4. What Are Your Goals?

Sometimes it’s best to talk about short-term and intermediate goals rather than locking yourself into the distant future. For example, “My immediate goal is to get a job in a growth-oriented company. My long-term goal will depend on where the company goes. I hope to eventually grow into a position of responsibility.”

5. Why Did You Leave (Or Why Are You Leaving) Your Job?

If you’re unemployed, state your reason for leaving in a positive context: “I managed to survive two rounds of corporate downsizing, but the third round was a 20 percent reduction in the workforce, which included me.”

If you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job: “After two years, I made the decision to look for a company that is team-focused, where I can add my experience.”

6. When Were You Most Satisfied in Your Job?

The interviewer wants to know what motivates you. If you can relate an example of a job or project when you were excited, the interviewer will get an idea of your preferences. “I was very satisfied in my last job, because I worked directly with the customers and their problems; that is an important part of the job for me.”

7. What Can You Do for Us That Other Candidates Can’t?

What makes you unique? This will take an assessment of your experiences, skills and traits. Summarize concisely: “I have a unique combination of strong technical skills, and the ability to build strong customer relationships. This allows me to use my knowledge and break down information to be more user-friendly.”

8. What Are Three Positive Things Your Last Boss Would Say About You?

It’s time to pull out your old performance appraisals and boss’s quotes. This is a great way to brag about yourself through someone else’s words: “My boss has told me that I am the best designer he has ever had. He knows he can rely on me, and he likes my sense of humor.”

9. What Salary Are You Seeking?

It is to your advantage if the employer tells you the range first. Prepare by knowing the going rate in your area, and your bottom line or walk-away point. One possible answer would be: “I am sure when the time comes, we can agree on a reasonable amount. In what range do you typically pay someone with my background?”

10. If You Were an Animal, Which One Would You Want to Be?

Interviewers use this type of psychological question to see if you can think quickly. If you answer “a bunny,” you will make a soft, passive impression. If you answer “a lion,” you will be seen as aggressive. What type of personality would it take to get the job done? What impression do you want to make?

This is a guest post from our friends at Excelle. Excelle is the premier online community for female professionals in the United States. Empower yourself with high-quality content relating to workplace issues and career advancement. Forge connections and network with other working women in our interactive forums. Join our community of intelligent, highly-motivated career women here: excelle.monster.com.

I knew things were going to be different after graduation.  I graduated high school and shiz did not go down in college like it did in high school funky town.  Like any transition in life,  things change.  And with change, I am suddenly given the chance to look back in my life rear view mirror, appreciate what’s been left in my past and look forward to the brand new things that are coming in my future.

Like any college girl, the only thing I could think about upon graduating was how I wouldn’t be able to wear sweatpants to buy Arizona Green Tea at the gas station at 2 P.M. on a Tuesday afternoon.  I knew I was going to miss spending entire days sprawled out on my futon, watching Grey’s Anatomy re-runs and ordering Jimmy Johns for my mid-afternoon snack. My college siesta hour(s) – every day from 2-4 – would no longer be there for me to utilize. And that is something I’ve missed.

I’ve also missed going to the caf with all of my girlfriends on Sunday morning to discuss the weekend’s events over soggy toast and cheesy eggs.  I’ve missed when spring finally came and all of the boys on campus would showcase their forearms, and that bubbly feeling inside me that came from knowing that in just a few more degrees, they would be drinking Coors in their backyard. Shirtless.

I miss having a careless and completely confident attitude in college.  I miss finding the utmost contentment in being surrounded by chaos and people all the time.  I miss getting caught up in crazy weekends with not a care in the world as to what anyone thought of me or the green wig I was wearing just for the hell of it (college kids do strange things for attention).  I miss dreaming about my future, instead of living it and constantly worrying about what’s coming next.

BUT, and there’s always a but, in my relentless quest to look on the bright side, I have discovered some beautifully poetic tid-bits about a post-grad life that I’ve come to really appreciate. Yes, there are some wonderful things about being on this side of the cap and gown.

My post-grad life has introduced me to the beauty of wine. I never used to appreciate a fine glass but now I understand the practice of slowing down a little bit, sipping a crisp glass of Riesling and reveling in its apricot taste (as opposed to pounding back shots of Patron). I also have come to enjoy happy hour.  Since I was always taking night classes in college, I finally have the time to run a train over happy hour waffle fries at Champs.

My post-grad life has also really made me appreciate weekends, for other reasons than sleeping off hangovers and going home to visit the family.  I really look forward to my Saturdays and Sundays now to get things done, go on impromptu trips and explore the eating scene around the city. (Hello, brunch and mimosas!)

As a post-grad, I love the feeling of progress and the fact I can finally sculpt my future without school as my backbone.  In college,  it seemed like graduation was a stone wall I could not see past.  As a post-grad, I’ve barreled over that wall into a place where I can see a sliver of light as I shimmy through my own future.  It’s a strangely relieving feeling.

I love to cook and bake, and that is something I definitely did not take up in college (partially because I didn’t know a spatula from my own hand).  Eating good food has a lot more meaning and importance now, and cooking it for myself is so strangely satisfying and therapeutic, I don’t know why I didn’t do it in college when I was spazzing out about registering for classes every semester. I love leisurely reading for pleasure and not having to worry about how much Finite Math reading I should be doing instead.

I love being forced to get up before the sun comes up for my job (this is NOT what I would say upon waking up, however) because it forces me to watch the sunrise.  I love making my own income, and finally pulling my own weight.  I love having a solid routine.  I love living out of the college dorm lifestyle and hanging up a painting instead of a James Dean poster.  I love lamp. Sorry, is it immature that I had to stick that in here?

I would like to take note that I did not transform from a sloppy broad into a classy, perfected woman right after I tossed my hat in the air.  In no way am I classy and in no way will I ever maintain the same stature as Kate Middleton just because I got a job and stopped peeing in public. I’ve just grown up a bit and learned to appreciate the new life I’m living. And surprisingly, there’s a lot to appreciate out here.

When I was a little girl and thought of growing up, I closed my eyes and saw a life full of prosperity. I saw a world where I could do what I loved most, play Barbies in my spare time, and make a lot of money being a veterinarian, curing boxes of adorable puppies on a daily basis.  Then when I turned thirteen and reality was a little clearer, Celine Dion proved to me I had the pipes to belt out ‘My Heart Will Go On’ until my heart (and those around me) would not go on any longer.  I knew that someday I would date Justin Timberlake because we were at the same place in our musical careers and we could understand each other.

When I graduated high school and Justin Timberlake started dating Cameron Diaz, I knew I had to pick an alternative life.  It took some time (and a few people cringing at the sound of my voice), but I soon realized I could not be the next pop artist. Instead, I would go to college and dig into its grab bag of opportunity.

I wanted to find out who and what I wanted to be.  And I had a four-year time crunch.

When I graduated, I was pushed into a world full of options.  At first, I took all of the options, put them in a sack that was my mind and tried them on one by one.  Some were good (interning at CollegeCandy, FTW!), and others not so much (clerical work just isn’t my thang), and as time went on, I realized one thing: I needed to do something that struck my passionate heart strings. I knew I could deal with whatever my occupation tossed me from then on if I had a big ass crush on it.

So I chose writing. It is something that has always made me happy and decided that no matter what the job, I wanted to do virtually anything that involved taking out a piece of paper and decorating it with some witty, smart, and entertaining scribble.  Relief set in when I decided to strive towards this goal in life. Finally, I had some direction! A path to follow. It was calming to know that I finally had a clue and now all I had to do was make it happen.

But I soon discovered that finding our passion is the easiest part about the growing up process. (You mean it gets harder? Pass the fudge, please.)  The molding it into something real is where things get difficult.

You see, running after my dream job came with its own set of problems. I had two options:  I could be passionate and really dive into my field head first without any guarantee that it would ever work out, or I could be completely practical. You know, take any job, make some money, whatever. Being practical was obviously tempting because I knew I could get a solid job outside of my field right away, make money, live on my own, pay my loans and move along.

But did I really want to work a job that’s only benefit was that it was secure, or struggle in a field where my card may not be dealt until I was ready to retire?

That’s probably the toughest question any recent post-grad will face, and one that kept me up, staring at my ceiling, for weeks.

I went back and forth (money or passion, passion or money, live with my parents forever or have a sick apartment and a job I loathe?), until one day I climbed out of my childhood bed and decided that it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. It doesn’t have to be love or loathe, success or failure. In a moment of post-grad clarity (which are much less frequent than post-grad meltdowns), I realized that we can balance our passion with some practicality.  We can choose our passions and we can use practicality to get there. We can start at the bottom, prove ourselves, and work our way up (practical), until we end up in the job we’re head over heels in love with (passion).

We may not get there right away, but that’s OK. At this point in the game, I am content in knowing that my passion is strong enough to get me where I want to be in the end.

Maybe it’s the high of finally getting a job that I actually love (go me!), but I truly believe all of us should do what makes us happy. And I truly believe it’s possible to do so. It might take a little time and some sacrifice, but there is a future out there for every one of us that is as wonderful as it is practical.

Except maybe marrying Justin Timberlake; who knows how long we’re going to have to wait for him to break up with Jessica Biel??

Read more about the ups and downs of Brittany’s post-grad life and empathize with her here.

[Life after college is different for every single grad. While some might be going to grad school, others enter the real world in attempts to make their dreams come true pay off their student loans. We've been following Charlsie on her post-grad journey since September, but now it's time to check see what someone else's post-grad life brings. (But don't worry - Charlsie will still be writing!) So ladies, allow me to introduce you to Brittany and her tumultuous life after college.]

I’m having a pre-mid-life crisis.

And I can’t even buy a red Corvette and put the top down and drive to my Beverly Hills condo in complete dismay.  I can’t go to a nice cocktail bar and cheat on my fat, hairy husband.  I can’t even obtain a sugar daddy to buy me a bangin’ new set of tits. All I can do is attack my Netflix, fall back on an old high school flame, and stare at my empty PayPal account.

Twenty-somethings are not supposed to feel the way I do.

I feel like I’m at an AA group to talk about my feelings, but here it is, as honest as I can be.  I graduated a decade nine months ago.  In Hollywood years, that’s about five.  I could have popped out a set of twins with Charlie Sheen by now, or at least put myself on Teen Mom and physically abused my crack head baby daddy.

But, no.  In the past nine months of post-grad life, I’ve had five internships, lots of hot dogs (the only thing I can afford/enjoy at the same time) and many tweaked out conversations with my mother (i.e. “AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING WITH MY LIFE!??).

While I search for a glamorous job, a spicy love life, and a easy breezy life on my own, I’m constantly motorboated by reality.  And I’m suffocating.  Although I know everyone my age is rowing the same (sinking) boat, I feel like I’m completely alone.  This is the most melodramatic I’ve been in my entire life.  I don’t even remember being this ridiculous when I got my period for the first time.

After I graduated, I lived at my parents’ house for six months.  Like I said, six months in Hollywood I could have made a sex tape or texted Brett Favre. But no, six months at home while I finished my fourth internship and perfected a lagging four months of unemployment made me feel as useless as a submarine with screen portholes.

In a triumphant attempt to get another job, I landed myself another internship in January.  For being a double major graduate from a prestigious private school (that I’ll be paying for until I’m as old as Betty White) I expected a little more out of my future. Now I’m just praying for something. Anything.

I decided that while I wasn’t making my dreams come true, the least I could do was get a change of scenery so I moved out of my parents and in with some friends. And so my mid-life crisis began.  After living away from home for a month I’ve never felt so over-worked, under-appreciated and tired in my life. I’ve become addicted to high end fashion blogs and I can’t afford anything.  I want to write my own book someday, but the time and money required to do so just don’t exist.  While I don’t have time to stress out about my future, I find stress in weird and frequent circumstances. I cried when they didn’t have the hot dog buns I like at the grocery store last week.

Regardless, I’m excited to share this journey with all of the lovely CollegeCandy readers. Mostly because while I feel inhuman this way, I know I’m not the only one.  It’s easy to feel undefined, confused and incompetent at this age.  But I know I’m not alone.  While I understand the post-grad life is just a frustrating phase, I can live with knowing it’s a flexible one.  And as stubborn as I may be, I refuse to not take a lesson away from all of it.

As I navigate my life after college, I have the power to define who I am without any help from anyone else.  That alone, beats one day in Hollywood.

Cheers to being a post grad, and here’s to the journey.