12 Things I've Learned About Post Grad Life

It's been 8 months since I graduated from college, and here are some things I have discovered about life after undergrad:

1. Leaving home is really freakin' hard.

2. But it's the best possible choice to make, as soon as you possibly can afford it.

3. You can make anything edible with a broiler and some garlic salt.

4. You'll meet more people (interesting people, funny people, strange people, friendly people, unfriendly people, boring people, talkative people, annoying people) than you had met in all 20-something years of life in school.

5. And sometimes, doing something nice, bringing a smile to someone's face, or helping other people is an amazing feeling...especially when you're in a city.

6. Getting a drying rack for clothing is a fabulous way to save money overall and spend less time at the laundromat if it's a sketchy place like mine.

7. A roommate who isn't your best friend and who doesn't interact with you much can be an awesome thing.

8. Loneliness is, ironically, one of the most universal human experiences.

9. Picking out mousetraps for the first time is almost as bad as picking out makeup-- there are just as many choices, but in the end the basic familiar trap is the way to go.

10. Settling for the first job offer you get is not always the way to go.

11. Keeping #10 in mind...you CAN survive on an air mattress and/or living out of your car, if it means doing what you love or even just doing what you need to do. And you'll have a much different perspective on life once you do it.

12. And my favorite thing I've learned so far...I don't miss classes and homework! It is SO nice to work and then go home and enjoy a beer and be done for the day. (With my crazy jobs it doesn't always work out that way but it didn't during college either...and after a 14-hour barely paid day there would be homework to come home to...no thanks!) I like learning...and I learn new stuff every day at work. It's a win-win situation!