Dear New College Grad

Dear new college graduate, 

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! You should be so incredibly proud of yourself. You just survived the last four-ish years of late nights, early mornings, and everything on either side and in between. You made it through all those horrible exams, 8am classes that took attendance and even the hangovers you were sure were going to end you. You most likely experienced some heartbreak, caused by an almost lover or maybe a loss of a friendship you were sure would never end. You figured out what it is like to live on Easy-Mac and gas station burritos. You probably figured out that Folgers is a heck of a lot cheaper than Starbucks, and knew the various happy hour specials across town by heart. You are most likely more than ready to get the heck out of your college town and "really start living life" right? Well let me tell ya, this adulthood thing, is a lot harder than you think. And you are going to miss college. A lot.

Real life is hard. It's rewarding, it's pretty cool to go pick up your first 'big kid paycheck' but it comes with a lot of responsibility. First of all I would like to make something very clear, if you don't land your dream job right out of college you are not failing. Let me say it louder for the people in the back, IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR DREAM JOB IMMEDIATELY OUT OF COLLEGE YOU ARE NOT FAILING AT LIFE.  Okay, now that we have cleared that up, whatever job you do have, your boss "takes attendance" and won't accept a 20 minute rehearsed speech as to why you couldn't make it in to work on the busiest day of the year like your professor might have let you get away with because we all know you weren't really sick; you just completely forgot you had an exam that day. Yepp, been there, done that.

Naps become a thing of the past. I know, it's okay to tear up a little bit. I miss them dearly too. But hey they just become that much more refreshing when you don't get them as often.

"Real life" comes with real bills, and real stress. College is stressful, absolutely. But when compared to adulthood stresses, college stresses seem like a piece of cake, pie, pizza whichever you prefer.

I could go on and on about the stresses of being a responsible adult but you will all figure them out on your own. You will also figure out how great it is as well. There's a sense of accomplishment and independence gained from being an adult you won't find anywhere else. You'll experience parts of life you never knew existed. You'll get a great full time job, or you'll get married and start a family, or you'll travel the world, or maybe you'll do it all, or maybe you'll do something completely different. Chase whatever makes you happy, chase what is going to add fuel to the fire that burns in your soul. Find something you are passionate about and don't ever let anyone tell you, you can't achieve your goals. Because YOU CAN. I believe in you, and so should you.

My best piece of advice to give to you recent, new, or soon to be college graduates: enjoy every minute you can. You'll never have this very special time in your life back. You've learned much more than what professors have taught you in a classroom, whether you realize it or not. You've made life long friendships and connections that I promise will come in handy some day. Don't be afraid to not only chase your dreams, but change your dreams too. It's okay to have a different dream and outlook on life now than you did when you were in grade school. Follow your heart, dare to push the limits you think are set before you. Believe it or not, you are going to miss your college town and the memories you've made at your favorite hole in the wall bar. You'll come back and visit and it will be a blast but it will never be the same. So enjoy this time, for you'll never get it back. If you are graduating today, tomorrow, or in a month from now, congratulations, there are so many people that are so proud of you! You made it! Now go make a few more memories celebrating with the people you love most.

Proud to be a Texas Tech University Alumna
Class of 2016
WRECK 'EM TECH!