Life After College: What to Expect
By Aaron Crabtree
Seniors… Congratulations on your hard work and the contributions you have made at Grace College. We are proud of you and we pray for you as you advance.
Fifteen years ago, I was in the same place you are – preparing to graduate from Grace, anticipating another major life transition, more than ready to finally enter “the real world” – whatever that is.
Almost everyone I know talks about the first year after college being “challenging.” My experience involved a period of unemployment, getting married, working retail, and house-sitting (aka “being homeless”) for the first eight weeks of marriage. I remember times of loneliness, insecurity, and spiritual doubt. There’s no need to sugarcoat it – the transition can be very difficult.
So, without sounding like an over-promising Buzzfeed list, a life coach, or (worse yet) your parent, allow me to offer up some encouragement about navigating life after college.
• Finances. Even if you take a minimum wage job, you’ll likely make more than you ever have. How you choose to spend those first few paychecks will establish patterns for the rest of your life. You must make a budget and set long-term goals. Two of my friends saw that first paycheck and went out and bought a new car – today, both of those friends are in serious debt. Coincidence?
• Freedom. College offers many helpful services and structures: mentors, rules, and clear expectations. When the structure of this community is removed, who will you be? How much and frequently will you drink alcohol? Who will keep you accountable in dating relationships? I advise graduates to live deliberate and disciplined lives – find a mentor, set goals and boundaries, choose to be accountable to someone outside of yourself for your choices.
• Faith. A 2007 Lifeway study found that over 70% of students attending church during high school drop out during college. Only about half of them will ever return. At Grace you’ve been “fed” regularly through class, chapel, conversations, and (hopefully) a local church. If you’ve come to own your faith during college, decide now to participate in a church when you graduate – even when you don’t feel like it. Reflect on what disciplines helped you grow during college and then pursue those things (small groups, worship, Bible study, service) in your life as an adult.
• Friends. If you are like me, your most significant times at Grace are your relationships with your peers. So, it only makes sense that your greatest fear is being without them. As much as it is possible, take this next step while living in community with people you trust and know. And as you begin new relationships, build them on authenticity and truth.
Graduation is an important passage. You are officially crossing over from a focused season of preparation into a wide open world that is eager to test your faith, courage, and thinking. Be intentional as you enter that world. Walk worthy of the calling to which you’ve been called. (Ephesians 4:1)
