I graduated recently. Instead of feeling elated, I feel odd. Unsettled. So, I had to ask myself, am I experiencing post-college depression?

[Note: A lot of my readers are British, I’m not. Here, we say college as a colloquial thing, I guess because saying university sounds pretentious. So, there’s been times I’ve talked about this, and been asked if I’m going to “uni.” I have a BA from a university. The next step up for me would be a masters.]

What Is Post College Depression?

Post-college depression, also known as post grad/post graduation depression, is considered to be a depression, lack of motivation, and restlessness that people experience after finishing third level education.

Post-college depression may not actually be a clinical illness, but depression absolutely is, and requires help and treatment. If you’re struggling with your mental health, please seek help from a professional.

Life After Graduation

I graduated recently so this topic has been on my mind a lot.

I’ve noticed it’s a topic seldom seen spoken about, but the fear before leaving college, and not feeling ready for “the real world,” is something that’s very common. A lot of people end up doing a masters to put off leaving the education system for another year, because they don’t feel like enough of a grown up yet. Personally, I have no idea where the money to spontaneously do said masters come’s from but that’s none of my business.

For someone who didn’t enjoy university, or any part of the education system for that matter, I was adamant I would only experience elation upon finishing college. I am really happy to be finished, because college was just a terrible environment for me. My anxiety is definitely much lower not being there, but I’m not euphoric.

Post-College Frustration

I’m not experiencing Post-College Depression, I’m experiencing something I’ve coined as Post-College Frustration.

I’m sick of people constantly asking what my plan is, do I have a “real job” yet, does my boyfriend have a “real job” yet, did I apply for x, y, and z job openings, did I get anything back from the job application I sent etc. etc. etc. 

Give me a break. Why do people act like it’s better to climb the corporate ladder and hate your life than to be frugal but happy?

Choosing The Right Path

I’ve just finished 19 – yes that’s right, nineteen years in the education system. As I’ve said, it was far from being the best years of my life. I’m pretty adamant about not doing something that will make me hate the rest of my life. I also think it’s reasonable for me to want to relax for a little bit. 

My siblings, having both studied business, had “real” jobs lined up before they even graduated, and I didn’t. I work in retail.

A lot of people in my course already have jobs and internships, and that’s wonderful for them. Some literally landed their dream jobs and have never been happier, and I’m happy for them.

I even suspected before starting my course that I would still be working whatever part-time job I would have after graduation, until the right opportunity came up. My life is exactly where I predicted it would be. I’m okay with that, it feels like no one else is.

Living At Your Own Pace

What’s odd is I feel a bit of resentment, even though I actually didn’t apply for anything they got, I just know right now my life would be easier if I was starting my career or an internship tomorrow. I didn’t apply for those jobs, because I didn’t want them.

If I was willing to move to another part of the country and wanted a full time job I’m pretty confident I’d already have one. I’m not ready to run into a career, nor do I really want to use my degree in it’s conventional way. The idea of walking right into a big career immediately just feels overwhelming for me.

I really enjoyed working in magazines and newspapers during college, but I know my myself well enough to know that in the long term, the precariousness and stress within that industry is not good for me – hence why work from home jobs, or freelancing would be ideal for right now. I am frustrated at how those aren’t working out so far, but as I said, I have a part-time job so I can save up and get by.

For the next year or so, I just need to bide my time, because I’m going to be my own boss, and that’s going to take a long time to establish, but it will be worth it when the day comes. Until then, I just have to accept that people will be judging me.

What To Do If You Experience Post-College Depression

• Stop checking social media. Everyone’s life looks much better than it really is on social media, if seeing your classmates sharing news of their new job upsets you, then it’s time to log off for awhile. The mute button exists for a reason. I find Pinterest is the only website that doesn’t piss me off.
• Don’t make fun of other people. A lot of people resort to acting like it’s a competition and making fun of their former classmates to make themselves feel better. A job is a job. Don’t make fun of someone working in retail or the service industry in their 20s and older. There’s nothing wrong with those jobs. You don’t know their story. Not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder, or they just want a job they don’t detest that funds their lifestyle. Either way, root for them.
• You’re not confided to one thing. You don’t have to have the same job or career forever. I find the people who career hop have such interesting lives!
• Go easy on yourself. Getting though college is a huge accomplishment, be proud of that.
• You’re still young. It feels like we have to fit all our life into our 20’s before we have to start a family by 30 and then live the next 18+ years for your kids. It doesn’t have to be that way. 20 is so young, you have all the time in the world to “get your shit together.” Recently anyone who had kids from 28-30 have actually started admitting to me that they’d have preferred to have been a bit older when they had their kids, so this whole “I had to meet my soul mate yesterday, to get married by 27 and have kids before 30.” thing doesn’t seem to be all it was cracked up to be.
• Do what you want. As happy as certain paths would make your parents, remind yourself that you’re the one living this life. You’re the one who’s gonna see your life flash before you eyes or have a mid-life crisis, so make sure you spend it doing what fulfils you. A job is a job, it’s okay to find pride, joy and fulfilment elsewhere in your life.
• Life doesn’t pan out how you thought. In your late teenage years, you have all sorts of notions on how you thought your life would be. You don’t have the life experience to know if you’ll actually enjoy it when the day comes, or if it’s a feasible option. You’re not a loser if you’re not living the life a 17 year old imagined.

If you’ve graduated too, how did you feel afterwards? Do you think you experienced post-college depression? If you’re still a student, you might be interested in my life lessons from first, second, third, and fourth/final year.