Transition to life after Graduation, enter Reality

It’s different than school, but it doesn’t have to bite.

Finally: No more exams, no more 20-page papers, no more studying, no more registering for classes. You’re graduating and life’s about to get a whole lot easier, right? Think again.

You may be leaving behind the hassles of academia, but you’re about to encounter life in the real world, which can be a big pain in the ass. But it can also be great.

Here are some of the things you need to be ready for, along with tips and advice for making the transition to being a grown-up as pain in the ass-less as possible.

Schedule
No more sleeping late. Your classes might not start till 11, but working hours are usually different. During your first few weeks, see when everyone else comes in and get there 15 minutes earlier. Set an alarm and suck it up.

Then there’s the work-a-whole-day thing. In college, you have class for an hour or two, take a break, get a snack, go to the library, hang out, go to another class, take another break, go to practice. When you work, you work. All day. The first few days seem endless. But here’s the good news: You’ll get used to it, and you might even start to like it.

Try to take a lunch break every day, leave your desk on occasion, vary your routine, and be as busy as you can possibly be. Days will start to zip by and the weekend will be here before you know it.

Exercise
Working out is harder to do. Even if you didn’t play sports in college, did you notice how there were rarely classes between four and six in the afternoon? When you work full time, there’s no more scheduled time for working out. If you want to stay in shape, you MUST make it a priority. Learn to work out before work and get it over with. Or stop at the gym on your way home so you don’t get distracted by TV and food.

Also be aware that the gym is not free anymore. Depending on where you live, you may have to pay more than $100 per month to join a gym. Check and see if your employer or your health plan subsidizes gym fees.

Finances
In the real world, you pay the bills. There are car payments, insurance payments, rent, cable bills, electric bills, gas bills, and credit card bills. The best way to deal with bills is to pay them right away and pay them in full. Don’t let them pile up and forget about them until some collector calls you four times. Just pay them.

You’ll also be faced with one of life’s certainties: taxes. You have to file by April 15, or you’ll be stuck with penalties. Don’t worry — it’s not as hard as it seems. Just follow the step-by-step instructions, and you might even get a refund. The earlier you file, the sooner your refund will come.

Clothes
Even if your dress code is “business casual,” you can’t get away with throwing on sweatpants and a baseball cap and running out the door. In most professional environments, business casual means, at the very least, khakis and probably nice slacks or a skirt. If you’re not lucky enough to have a casual dress code, you need a suit every day. Just pray for casual Fridays.

Whatever kind of clothes you need to buy, go for quality rather than quantity. A few classic pieces will take you a lot farther than a closet full of trendy gear. But don’t be afraid to “modernize with a few bits and pieces like a cool tie or a bright shirt,” says Andrew Sabola of Banana Republic in Boston. For the guys, must-haves include “several pairs of good chinos,” according to Sabola. He also recommends at least one suit (stretch cotton is in fashion and great for summer, but a classic light wool suit in gray or navy is always appropriate.) Get at least one good pair of high-quality slip-on loafers and several classic button-down shirts.

Women should start building a professional wardrobe with classic pieces for summer. This year, Sabola says, look for linen pants that are slightly cropped. A simple silk suit is always a winner. On top, wear a light silk shirt with a dressy camisole underneath. Twin sets are both classic and fashionable — this year elbow-length is the way to go.

Drink
Unless you’re a bartender, chances are you’ll be spending significantly less time around alcohol. Know what happens when you drink less? You can’t drink as much. When most students leave college, their tolerance drops. This is good because it’s cheaper, but bad when you forget and imbibe too much. You might be used to downing a whole lot more than you can handle after a few months in the working world. Be careful. Be especially careful if you’re going out for “a drink or two” with co-workers. Keep it to a drink or two, please.

Food
The dining hall is a thing of the past, and that’s probably a good thing. Unless you live at home, Mom won’t be preparing your meals anymore. View this as a great opportunity to experiment and find out what you really like. You’re a grown-up now; if you feel like having ice cream for dinner and stir-fry vegetables for breakfast, go for it.

Just remember that only you can make sure you’re healthy. That starts at the grocery store, says Dr. Margo Woods, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Tufts University. “What you buy is what you eat, so make good choices there,” she says. The best foods are found in the perimeter aisles (think produce department, dairy department.)

The most important thing you can do, Woods says, “is make sure to get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.” They can be fresh, canned, or frozen. To boost fiber intake, eat a high-fiber breakfast cereal and buy canned beans to add to soups and salads. Beans are a cheap way to get not only fiber but also extra protein and other nutrients. Also make sure you’re getting enough calcium — “young women especially need to make sure they get enough,” Woods says. Buy milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese.

If you cook one night, make a big batch so you have healthy food on hand for several nights. Soups and stews can easily be frozen and re-heated. And finally, beware the dessert rut. “We get in the habit of having high-sugar foods with little or no nutritional value at almost every meal,” Woods explains. Instead, opt for plain fruit or a dessert with fruits or nuts that offers some nutritional benefit instead of all fat and sugar.

Image Courtesy: Tara Bray book on A crash course to life after graduation, Amazon.com

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