11 Lessons for College Graduates I Wish I Knew Before

Congratulations to the new batch of “gradwaiting” and graduating students! Now, it’s time for you to face the real world. The post-graduation life is both confusing and overwhelming, but the lessons you’ll learn are endless. It’s been a year since I graduated, but I’ve learned more about the world in the past months than I have in the four years that I’ve been a student. Here are some lessons and tips for graduates in the Philippines that I want to share from the experiences of both myself and my friends.

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1. Rest before you find a job.

If your parents aren’t kicking you out of your house or forcing you to get a job, take a break. Not everyone has the privilege of being able to rest after college. So if you do, take the chance! You will thank yourself later.

It’s tempting to go job-hunting when you’re worried about competition, but rest doesn’t come so easily as a working adult anymore. I’ve heard many friends tell me they regret not taking a break after college because they were instantly burnt out after they landed a job.

Remember: life isn’t a race, it’s a marathon.

2. Finding a job isn’t instant.

When I was a college senior, I really thought it would be easy to secure a job. But obviously, I was wrong. There are a lot of things you’d have to do, like prepare a killer resume and/or portfolio, filter through jobs and companies, send out e-mails, and ace job interviews.

As a fresh graduate, you’d find a lot of jobs that is beyond your experience level. Reality is, there are also many companies who will not get back to your job application. These things delayed how long the job-hunting process for me. Luckily, the internet is full of tips for graduates in the Philippines that will ensure that you get that dream job.

I was lucky enough that everything only took me a month and a half. For some, it took three months or even more. If you’re going to rest after college, make sure you’re realistic with the timetable that you set when it pertains to job-hunting.

3. You will meet people who are so different from you.

This one is kind of obvious, but you won’t really realize how true it is until you’re out there. When you’re in school, you more or less grow up thinking the same as your classmates and friends.

However, once you get out of that bubble, you will inevitably meet people who have different opinions and mindsets as yours. There will be people who will make you think: what kind of messed-up environment did they grow up in?

You thought you had the patience and tolerance to deal with those people? We’ll see.

4. Finding friends isn’t easy.

My college friends and I would talk about this a lot when we first started. In school, there are many opportunities to make new friends through classes, and extracurricular activities.

However, it’s kind of tough to create new connections after college because you’d have to willingly put your foot forward. You’d have to put some effort in finding people to talk to, which may be an introvert’s worst nightmare.

On top of my head, you can meet people through Tinder, mutual friends, workout classes, or work. So there are options, but no one’s going to force you to be friends with anyone anymore except yourself.

5. Doing vices was a phase for many people.

College was a playground for experimentation. For many of us, it was the “wildest” phase of our young lives where we were into sex, drugs, smoking, and alcohol.

Now that we have bigger problems to take care, those things have taken a backseat. Most of my friends who doubled down on vices during college eventually grew out of them.

Of course some of us still do engage in them, but don’t be surprised if your lasinggero friend isn’t always up for blackout nights anymore. Oh, and just to make it clear, we don’t condone the use of any illegal drugs here. Please stop if you are.

6. College friends are forever… or not.

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Post-graduation is a great test of that.

I’ve already drifted apart from friends whom I thought I was going to be close with forever. But I’ve also forged even deeper connections with a few of the people I met in college even when we started working.

There is definitely some effort involved in maintaining the friendships that you have, so it’s up to you to decide which ones are worth fighting for.

7. Everyone has their own lives.

In college, it was easier to be there for your friends when you saw each other regularly.

But in the real world, it’s sometimes hard to find time and energy to be there for each other.

As you’re making all of these adjustments in life, it’s hard not to get caught up in your own little world. There will come a point where you’ll think you’re a crappy friend, but the guilt is perfectly normal. You can’t be there for everyone all the time, and not everyone can be there for you all the time too.

The important thing is the effort you exert in finding time for each other, because that alone speaks volumes.

8. College did not prepare you for the important stuff.

I can tell you about some communication theories and frameworks that I learned in college, but I’d be lying if I said I knew how taxes worked.

The post-graduate life has taught me that I was clueless about a lot of important, real-life stuff. For instance, knowing how to apply for SSS, PAG-IBIG, PhilHealth, TIN, and NBI Clearance was a task I needed to learn on my own. Back in August, I was involved in a car accident, but had no idea how insurance worked. Also, don’t even get me started on bills.

One of the most important tips for graduates in the Philippines is to do your research as early as now!

Looking back, I wish I had some sort of guidance on how to go about them. And I’m sure there will be more surprise life lessons to come.

9. You can’t take away the school from the graduate.

Unfortunately, you will be judged a lot by the school you graduated from, especially if it’s relatively well-known.

There are a lot of times when I’ve heard I only act a certain way because I came from UP. Which is a slap in the face, because I am more than my school. That’s why I’ve decided to always refrain from telling people where I went to college unless it’s relevant to the topic.

Whether you like it or not, you represent your school and your school represents you too.

10. Priorities change.

I remember being quite ambitious after I had just graduated from college. There were big dreams that I wanted to follow. But shit (that I’m probably gonna blog about soon) happened, and now, I just want to be happy.

When I was still in college, I always planned to work in the developmental sector through an NGO. However, when I had to go the corporate route because NGOs wouldn’t hire fresh graduates, I realized that I needed to work on myself and my hard skills first.

Truth is, most of us don’t know what the hell we want in life. Because of that, the things we find important will definitely change.

We will all go through certain events that will lead us to constantly rethink the things we hold dear and the path we ought to take.

11. People change.

It’s hard to accept, but you know it’s gonna happen.

The people around you will not be the same people they were in college. Everyone will face different obstacles and triumphs that will shape the way they think, feel, and behave. Sometimes, you won’t even recognize who they are anymore.

But it’s not just them. You will change, too. It’s human nature so don’t try to fight it.

However, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most of the time, people change for the better.

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With everything have been said, I hope I didn’t scare you too much. Because trust me, life after college can be difficult, exhausting, and downright mean. But it’s also exciting and magical. This is the beginning of your lifelong journey to becoming your own person.

Once again, congratulations to the 2020 graduates! May you show the world how beautiful zoomers can be.

Got more tips for graduates in the Philippines? Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to share the post to your graduating friends!

Make sure to find more pieces of advice for zoomers here if you enjoyed reading through our tips for graduates in the Philippines.

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