There comes a point in every student’s life when he or she must decide to stop being a student. For some, this decision to step into the real world is easy, while others find it an incredible leap. Why are there differences? What are the virtues of leaving student life to become an independent adult? Every person has different circumstances they need to consider. I can only speak to my own personal experiences and how they affected my decision to forgo graduate education and enter the workforce.
Allow me to provide you with some brief background information to better understand where I am coming from. I graduated GW last May with a double major in economics and statistics. Like most GW students, I had my fair share of internships and student involvement. I remember starting my senior year with thoughts and fears of graduation looming just over the horizon. What was I going to do; what could I do; what in the world did I want to do with my life?
I answered many of those questions in my quest to find the perfect job during the fall semester. I took this route because I would not have to complete graduate school applications until the spring. Not knowing if the perfect job exists, the search for it provided me with incredible insights into my own life. Each interview and company information session helped me narrow my choices and weigh alternatives. I learned that in my career, there are a number of steps I need to take in order to become successful. Finding a job and working right out of school is purely a means to an end. I need work experience if I want to gain admission to a top MBA program. And I need an MBA if I ever want to break into the higher levels of management. So in my case, it made sense for me to get a job and worry about grad school later.
Life in the real world is far different from being a student. It has its good points and bad ones; for me, the jury is still out. I start with a few good things. First, I get paid! It is a great feeling to take home a paycheck that is more than the peanuts I was used to making. It also gives me a good feeling to know I am not an expendable intern. Another huge concept is the lack of homework. In most cases, when I leave my office, I am done for the day or the weekend. I don’t have homework constantly hanging over my head. I do not have to worry about midterms next week, or a paper that is due in three days that I have not even done the reading for. Life is basically less stressful. However, with the good comes the bad.
Working is incredibly monotonous. It is as though I have nothing to look forward to. In college, a semester ends and a break begins. That changes in the real world. I go to work every Monday morning and the next morning and the next. There are no big breaks in the real world. Sure, I have holidays and vacation days, but they pale in comparison to the month off after the fall semester and the three months off for summer. Another disadvantage of working is I can’t skip it, I can’t come in late and I really can’t take that afternoon nap that so many students live by. I have also found it is much harder to see my friends. I don’t run into all my friends at J Street like I used to. People scatter across the country after graduation, and it is easy to lose touch. Think about how many friends you run into just walking around campus. I miss those frequent encounters with people whom I otherwise would probably not see.
Am I happy, did I make the right decision? That question haunts recent graduates for many months after Commencement. I end up having to answer that question a few times a week. For now, I am happy. I have also been a tad bit lucky by finding a job I both enjoy and that pays well. It also helps to be working only a few blocks from campus. I can come back and enjoy all the activities I have grown accustomed to for the past four years. I am even slowly getting used to the fact that I have to commute into the city and pay $10 a day to park! I miss walking to Georgetown, getting ice cream at Coney Island and using the great internet connections in the residence halls. Life changes and I, like all other graduating students, must get used to it. Eventually everyone must leave, and the decision to go out on your own becomes the hardest decision to make while still in school.
-The writer is a 2000 GW graduate.
