Adjusting to a Career After College

By Emma Wagner, Associate

Transitioning from college to the “real world” can be challenging, scary, and different for everyone. It takes time to adjust from the college lifestyle to going to work full-time every day. You might not think that you are ready for that jump, but you are. When you take it one day at a time, you realize that it wasn’t as hard, scary, or difficult as you thought it was going to be.

Adjusting to a New Routine

One of the biggest adjustments that I faced was creating a real routine. In college, I knew that if I stayed up too late, I could sleep in more the next day or have time to relax. In the world of a 9-5, you don’t have blocks of time where you get to go home for a couple hours or days where you don’t have class until noon, that is why it’s important to find a routine and stick to it. While it can be challenging to grow accustomed to a new routine and change can be super hard, I have found it super beneficial. Now that I have been working a 9-5 for about a year, I have discovered how to properly structure my day so I can feel refreshed in the morning and still have energy to be productive at night. For the first time in a long time, I finally have a sleeping routine that is working well.

It took some time to figure out what worked best for me and I know that not everyone is going to have the same schedule as me or enjoy the routine I have. It’s important for everyone to figure out what works best for them. One piece of advice I have is to try many things, see if you like working out in the morning or at night, figure out how much time you like in the morning to make breakfast, relax, and get ready for the day. It’s important to remember that even if you find a schedule that is the right fit for you, every day may be a little different, something might come up. If it does, you need to be able to roll with the punches and adapt.

Finding Balance with a Full-Time Job

Another big change is that you are working for a full eight-hour workday, while in college it’s rare to find a time that you are studying, doing schoolwork, or any activity for that long of a time period. It does take some time to get used to focusing for that long. However, there is a positive that comes with working a full-time schedule. Working a 9-5 has clearer separation between work and free time. During school, you do homework on the weekends or at the weirdest hours of the day but for the most part during your 9-5, you get to leave work at work and really enjoy your free time. This means on the weekend I am no longer worried about when I will have time to do my assignment or schedule my day around when group members can work on a project, I am able to go out and enjoy my time.

Another thing that is important to remember when transitioning to the “real world” is to still make time for yourself and your hobbies. When you first start working, it can feel tiring and you may lack the motivation to do anything after you get home. But being able to still make time for things that fill your cup and make you happy is important. Along those lines, you don’t want to “live for the weekend” and not do fun things on workdays. This means that even though you might not get home until after 5:00, you should still find time during the workdays to go do something fun. This way when you get to the weekend, you don’t feel the need to jam pack with too many things.

 Giving Yourself Grace

I think at the end of the day, the biggest adjustment that you feel is that you’re finally an adult. In school, there is still this feeling of being young and not having too many responsibilities. You become much more independent when you enter the 9-5 world. I think that this can be the scariest part of entering the working world, which is understandable. It’s scary to feel like you’ve taken on many new responsibilities while also being thrown into a world of change, but it can also feel freeing. You are in charge of how you live your life, how you spend your money, and your time.

My biggest advice is to be so nice to yourself and give yourself grace during the adjustment period. Some days are going to feel harder than others and that is okay. You’re also taking in a lot of new information, meeting a lot of new people, doing things that you have never done before and that can feel overwhelming. Every day will be different, and you will learn a lot, not just about accounting, or being a professional, but you will also learn a lot about yourself.

If you’re preparing to make the jump from college to your career, know that you’re not alone. To learn more about internships and career opportunities at Kernutt Stokes, visit our Careers page or connect with us at an upcoming campus event. We’d love to meet you.