THINQon : Life After Graduation

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Jordan Black

Life After Graduation

Latest Post: September 10, 2010 at 6:47 AM

5 followers

I graduated from college in 2009. I feel particularly lied to because I thought I was going to be making all sorts of money with an art degree, but hey. In all seriousness, after the excitement of graduation wore off I found that I am not really ready for life out side of school. I also feel that school is mostly a waste of time and money. What is great about school is the sense of community that you are instantly given in a campus setting. After graduating and realizing my part time job was not going to allow me to afford my Miami rent, I moved back home to my parents. This was to be a temporary thing as I planned to use my parents house as a sort of international spring board to go to far off locales, and do some art residencies.... fat chance of that happening. But the short term plan evolved into a year and half situation that is depressing.

On one hand I am grateful for the ability to stay home and have a roof over my head. That is completely over shadowed by the thought of when I was sixteen if some one was twenty-four and living at home they were definitely a loser in my eyes. I feel like I am stuck in a loop. I want to leave South Florida, because I can't get a job. I can't leave south Florida because I don't have a job (or money). If any thing though, my situation has taught me some valuable lessons on self worth, and being okay with my self out side of success.

Well I decided around January ( 9 months ago) that I would pursue the Peace Corps. I am now nominated to go Africa in 2011. This past month I have also been casted in lead role in an independent film. This great news and it is really exciting. But I feel so torn. Part of me wants to commit to my artistic and film endeavors, move to LA and try to "make it." The other half of me just wants to travel the world and experience life. I feel that I can't decide what to do. In school I had the idea that I was pursuing something good and tangible, a piece of paper, and something called "an education." But now on the other side of graduation, life seems so vast and vague. Everything you do excludes another thing! I think I am finally coming to the grips that I cannot do everything, only now at twenty-four.

On one hand things move so slowly, ie. filling out applications, the routine, and redundancy of every day life. On the other hand they seem so fast. The Peace Corps. is a 27 month long commitment do I want to put off everything for over 2 years? And why do most jobs look for long term employment?

There is one thing I want more than anything. I really want to be in a community of people who have similar goals. The closest thing I have ever had to that is school and I love it. I haven't really found any creative community after graduation and I have been worse off for not being involved in one.

So I know I am typical, but was graduation a punch in the face for any one else. Do you ever get over that school only trains some one to be good at school...

Reply to:

John Dawson, Philosophy graduate student.

September 9, 2010 at 2:12 PM

6 followers

Jordan, first I'll link it to the topics of:
The role of humanities and what should I do with my life
What did you get from your college education?

The role of college, I would say, is not to train you for anything but to create you. For training there are either specific schools, or the circus. This is not to look down at those schools as also artists - painters, sculptures - used to simply go through a training program, but for this you would need to know exactly what you want to do beforehand. College is a very basic form of education, correlating to the continuation of high-school, only to prepare you for grad school, as you said, when you know better what you want to do with your life.

You write very well.

Reply to: or

Stanislav Trumukovsky

September 10, 2010 at 1:41 AM

1 follower

I'm in a similar situation. I graduated in May. Due to a couple poor life choices (incessant smoking being the major one), i earned a 1.83 in my last semester at college. I had maintained a 3.8 up untill then.I didn't really plan for anything in my senior year and hence I graduated with no job or no graduate school to look forward to. Worse still everybody assumed that I had either a job or graduate school to look forward to because a) I lied about it b) Everyone thought i was smart and had my shit together.

So now, I live with my brother and his family and its worse than living with my parents. I have no money, I'm in a lot of debt and my visa's close to expiring.
I loved my college education though. It thought me to think outside my boundaries. Ironically, I've realized that the real world is different. Money matters so much more. I yearn to get back into graduate school so I can find the community you talk about, but my poverty prevents that from happening.

I've put all my dreams on hold until I find a job because I need money asap. I wish I'd been mindful of the excessive freedom college comes with and remained more focused. Graduation made me realize that there was more to life than being high 24 hours a day 7 days a week and all the nonsensical philosophies that came with justifying such behavior.

Although i'm hopeful that i will find a job soon, I see the possibility of degenerating into a situation just like yours and I'll hate myself forever if that happens. I just don't know what to do and can't think of what to do.

Reply to: or

Jordan Black

September 10, 2010 at 6:47 AM

5 followers

"Although i'm hopeful that i will find a job soon, I see the possibility of degenerating into a situation just like yours and I'll hate myself forever if that happens. I just don't know what to do and can't think of what to do."

Haha, did I make it sound that bad?

I did not mean to bash college, or education, it is just that "money matters so much more," after graduation. I was ill prepared for that! Not to mention that Miami has an extremely competitive job market right now.

http://www.indeed.com/jobtrends/unemployment

I was actually thinking about this the other day. In my college experience I had one professor that I could call a mentor. He was the type of person who would be extremely tough on you, but because he knew that's what it took to push your limits. I had one class with him, I can honestly say it changed my life. However, he left the school the next semester. I think another thing I am really looking for is a professional (or educational) mentor. It seems that a community is weaker when it is made of peers. I know that community is out there, yet people say that if you want community then you have to make it. Which is true... sort of. But, if I feel I am still looking for some one to mentor me, then how could I form something? What happened to the role of mentors? I feel like people want some one extremely qualified for something, yet they don't want to put the time in to develop the younger generation.