Not in college anymore...

It's almost been 2 year since college graduation and I have found an ever-increasing list of differences from my in school and my life now.

Here are some signs that you're definitely not in college anymore...

The Bad News
1) When you're sick you can't just go to the Health Center to get meds and a note.
2) Sleeping in means 8am, not 4pm.
3) Commuting
4) You can't just nap any time you want (although I usually manage to on my commute). There aren't breaks between meetings, like there are between classes.
5) You can't just skip a day of work, especially if you're a freelancer. You work, you're paid. No work, no pay.
6) You can no longer just roll out of bed and go to class in your pajamas or sweatpants. Business attire and appropriate shoes (not flip flops) must be worn.
7) Lunch is not spent chatting with friends between classes at the IK. It usually means spending $10-$15 to eat at your desk and continue working.
8) You have to make plans, sometimes weeks in advance, to see people or even to talk to them on the phone. No more running into people on campus.
9) There's no such thing as "wildcard money" or "campus cash". If you want it, you pay for it with your own real-life money.
10) Homework means you didn't get it done during the regular work week and you probably have a deadline to meet.
11) There's is no dismissal time for work, like there is for class. You work until work is done.
12) Summer's just another season.
13) No such thing as a 'snow day'. There is the rare case where the entire transit system is shut down, in which case you work from home.
14) Student loans
15) The incessant calls from your university's donation telethon. ("I'm sorry but I can't donate any money to you guys until I'm out of debt and done paying you for my education.")
16) Parties are restricted to holidays and special occasions.
17) Taxes. You are no longer a dependent. Get used to it.
18) Rent. Either you pay a landlord, or in my case, you pay your parents. Not in cash, in fealty. (Look it up. You'll understand). 

But fear not because not all is lost. There are some definite perks to life after college.

The Good News
1) Paychecks
2) No papers, tests or daily homework.
3) Vacation days. If you have the money, you can find the time, anytime.
4) Promotions
5) Pay raises
6) There's always an intern below you.
7) Hopefully you're doing something you enjoy instead of taking 'core classes' like Theology or Philosophy (unless you're a Philosophy or Theology major in which case I'm glad somebody enjoyed those classes)
8) Weekends are weekends and are not interrupted by work due the following week.
9) If you want to go out after work, you can. If you want to go home and watch TV on the couch, go for it.
10) Having a drink at dinner is classy and well-deserved after a day at work, where in college you were a drunk if you started drinking before 9pm.
11)You can begin to knock things off your 'bucket list'. Why yes I do want to go zip-lining through the rain forest, or take a yacht to island hop through Greece.
12) Freedom. You're an adult. Even if your parents tell you to do something, you're of an age where you can make your own decisions and not get grounded for it.
13) Age begins to be meaningless. When your in college the difference between 20 and 21 seems like light-years in time and experience. After school, the difference between 24 and 34 is a digit (and possibly a marriage or two).
14) Time with friends is meaningful and cherished. A phone call or a lunch date is never taken for granted.
15) The world is your oyster. I'm thinking about moving to the UK for at least a year. And why not? Sure, I have to get a visa and all, but I'm young, unattached and monetarily independent.


There are also some realities of post-grad life that can be viewed as either good or bad, depending on your perspective.
For instance, weddings. People start getting married which means great parties and reunions with friends. However, the downside is that weddings also bring along the pressures of the ever-present future and all the expenditures (dress, jewelry, travel, gift, shoes, flowers).

It may seem like the bad out weighs the good but really it's just an adjustment that you have to get used to. And believe me paychecks make almost anything better.

I'll be sure to update this growing list as I encounter the good, the bad and the in-between of post grad life. Have any suggestions of additions, let me know.