You Just Graduated, Now What?

It is graduation season again, and even though I hate to be a party popper, it must be said that graduating is not an easy ride. No matter how you feel about graduation right now, it still holds true that it will bring a lot of changes to your life. And these changes, whether positive or otherwise, may be intimidating, scary and confusing.

Students, especially graduating students, always think that graduation is the end; the finish line in the race of education and learning. What they seem to forget is that this is not actually just an end, it is also a beginning; a beginning of a totally different life.

After graduation you will have to start fending for yourself; say goodbye to your allowance, say goodbye to those lazy afternoons of chit-chats over coffee, say goodbye to doing nothing. After graduation, you will have to do something worthwhile with your life; not because it is expected of you, but because you would want that for yourself. You will realize soon after graduation that, unlike in college, every little decision you make will definitely affect your future life; and it will be harder for you to be care-free and do what you want just because you want to do it. More importantly, it will be a lot harder to relax. You may think that after years and years of studying, you would want to de-stress and chillax; but when you wake up the day after graduation with nothing to do, nothing to look forward to, and with no friends in tow, you will realize that a day of rest and relaxation is the last thing you need.

Stress will definitely set in. Sometimes, you may even feel like you are alone in this journey to independence and success. People may not be there for you when you need them most; nobody might understand and support the decisions you make. The people who you consider friends may not be as friendly or as available as they used to be, and you may soon bring yourself to the realization that being independent from the confines of school also means having to be independent from family, friends and your comfort zone.

Yes, graduation and the changes it brings with it is tough, but remember my dear partyphile: you are tougher! Don’t think too much, live for the day and carefully map out your plans for the coming months. Apply for as many jobs as you can, or take a rest. Start your own little business, or manage your parent’s store. Go to Boracay for some hardcore partying, or stay at home and look for online jobs. Whatever it is you plan to do after graduation, do it without apologies. You are young, you are bound to make mistakes, and it is just a matter of being comfortable with the stupid mistakes you make. Try to figure out what you want in life and just go for that dream, otherwise you might end up in some lame job that will ultimately make you unhappy.

Dear partyphile reader, you have probably gone through a dozen hangovers in your lifetime, you have probably hurled out projectile vomit in public, and you may have probably even danced on top of some ledge in some bar that one (truly wild) time. You have gone through a lot in your lifetime; trust me, finding success after graduation is not going to be that tough.

So to all the graduates of 2009: enjoy the time you have before graduation. Be careless, make stupid mistakes, make even stupider decisions, go out with your classmates, tell your friends what you have always wanted to say and party hearty before that fateful day. Because after graduation, the real work begins, and even though I would hate to admit it, being exposed to the hardships and trials of the real world makes you want to lay low on the party scene. So enjoy what you have left of your college life, and relish the fact that you can still be immature, even for just a couple of days more. And please, please celebrate your graduation with a bang!

Throw your own graduation party, or party with your closest class mates. No matter what you do, celebrate that exciting day and party until the sun comes up, after all, that will officially be the last night you are allowed to party like there was no tomorrow! So drink all you want, dance all you want, laugh and cry all you want because the next time you will get together with your classmates, student life will just be a thing of your fun-filled past.

Confession # 26

Adults always tell students how hard it is to live in the “real world” even though students never really listen. And then you realize how truly hard it is as soon as you graduate. But I still tell my college friends not to listen to those rants about hardships and trials and the woes of fending for yourself and your family. College is supposed to be fun; one big adventure. And even though its real purpose is to prepare us for the “real world”, students shouldn’t know that. They should have the time of their lives…while they still can.

Congratulations to my dear friend Anna Vellarino, the
person who single-handedly inspired me to party like there was no tomorrow. She
taught me the ins and outs of the party scene; without her I would have never
truly appreciated the art of letting my hair down and enjoying the gimmick life;
more importantly, if it wasn’t for her, I would not even have this
column.

It has been a long five years, but you have finally made
it. You always say how lucky you are to have friends… but it was always us who
were the lucky ones to have you. Congratulations!