Like millions of others before me, I got a real culture shock when I graduated from college last May and entered the real world with my first full-time job. Nothing I learned in the past fifteen years of being a student has prepared me psychologically for this transition. Sure, I had been warned about it. I had read tons of blogs and I had been lectured by tons of people older than me. But hearing about it and being in it are two different animals. We all know it, but hey… hindsight is 20/20.

Culture shock 1: Experience trumps education in America any day. This is something that evades a lot of high school and college students, including myself. I don’t think it’s an unfair concept because most people won’t remember what they learned in class, but they will remember what they do. I am not trying to downplay the importance of education: I still learned a lot (even if I don’t remember half of it) and I don’t regret my decision to go to college. The college degree opens many doors simply because for most fields it is a formality. I think I am a living example of this: I have a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and I work in a finance department. I had worked in this department as a student worker for a year before I graduated. Thus I had already some experience with this position. I only took one class in accounting, and yet my employer felt that I was qualified enough to do this job competently. My degree doesn’t even specify my major or my minor (psychology). It simply says that I had been awarded a B.S. I’m beginning to realize it’s because my major will never matter quite as much as my experience does. Yet I still hear from my college student peers who have barely worked a day in their lives about how much money they will get right off the bat from their double majors and triple minors.

Culture shock 2: Cost of living seriously takes on a whole new meaning. Your parents worked hard to get where they are now and so will you. Many of us have been exposed to a higher standard of living through our parents. As a result, this becomes normal to us and we even come to expect this standard of living (or something like it) right out of college. No wonder why students are in so much debt right now. I know that lately the “in” thing now is to work smarter, not harder. But working smart still isn’t easy. You will still have to bust your behind to live comfortably whether you work for someone else or you work for yourself. Chances are nobody is going to give you an $80K salary when you’re a recent college grad with little to no experience (see culture shock 1). Even if you’re that lucky, if you’re like many 20-somethings you probably want to make the most of your youth living in a major city and going out on the town often. In that case $80K probably won’t go very far.

Culture shock 3: The job description always sounds nicer than it really is. It’s easy to think you’ll love a certain job or career just by reading about it or hearing people talk about it. I made that mistake and so did many of my peers. However many of those responsibilities become grunt work fast. Some people remain enthusiastic about it but other people become indifferent about it. It’s like seeing someone wear the newest fashion trend. Sure it looks good on them. But that doesn’t mean it will look good on you. Many people who have already been in the workforce know this which is why job-hopping is so popular now. However some college students still put all their eggs in one basket because they are in love with the job description. The job description is just that: a description. It doesn’t tell you what happens in between the lines. It doesn’t tell you if it is right for your personality. It doesn’t tell you how you will feel about it 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years from now.

That said, I still don’t think this is the beginning of the end. Before graduating I had seriously contemplated going into grad school because I thought going to work in the real world would mean the end. In my state of panic, I thought I would love being a career student. But I’m glad I didn’t because it opened my eyes and helped me face my fear. Now I have a better idea of what I want (and don’t want) and what to do to make the changes I want to make. Today I feel more confident and determined to own my life instead of my life owning me.