How is Life After College Different?

Social life after college is much different than it ever was before. This seems like an obvious statement, but unless you've been there you might not realize just how different it is. As I discovered, social life after college was drastically different.

The first thing you must realize if you are about to graduate college (or know someone who is) is that all your networking is going to disappear. If you went to college right after high school, then you've always had a network of people around you simply by attending classes. Making new friends is easy. Several times a day, you're surrounded by anywhere from 30 to 100+ people. As an added bonus, you probably have the same major or minor, unless it's a general education class, so you already have some common ground.

The network you have during college extends to roommates and neighbors. College students tend to live with each other, and near each other. You probably work with many other students as well (especially since many students work on campus or in local retail).

After you graduate, this all vanishes. You obviously won't be in classes anymore, so a huge pool of people to pull friends from is gone. After graduation, you may also choose to not have a roommate and live further from campus. Even if you still have a roommate, they probably won't be a student with many social contacts you can 'borrow'. Chances are you'll be living in a more diverse community - some students, some older people with kids, and some senior citizens. This makes it harder to build new friendships.

Now, work after college affects your social life as well. Even if you continue working in a place that employs a lot of students, you may find you are not interested in hanging out with students anymore. They are simply at a different part of their life, with different aspirations. You're probably concerned with finding a job with good benefits and an IRA, while your coworkers probably have no idea what an IRA is. Once you move on to a job that employs "grown ups", the transition could still be rough. You're probably not completely used to networking with other adults so much.

So, it seems obvious that life after college will be different. After floating around for four years, with everyone in class, work and at home having similar interests, age and life situations, it is a bit of a shock to have that disappear. That has been such a big part of the student's life that it can take quite a bit of adjusting to learn how an adult creates their social network. The safety net is gone, and you have to find a new one. If you find yourself in this position, it's normal. If your kid is in this position, it's difficult but please be understanding. At least give them the chance to become a full fledged adult before you reel them back home.