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Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

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Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#91

Post by CamperBob2 »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #77
guitarhacks wrote: post #39

Nice tips but I already knew that in elementary school. The most important thing is not the transition after the college or university but your work and making connections WHILE you are studying. - You must build your network while you are studying and find people who you like to work with (look at Facebook?). Of course that depends on what University you are studying. Better University, better networks. - Besides ch…

You're picking up lots of downvotes, including from me. I'm going to explain why. * Your first point is trite. Everyone says, "find your passion". Guess what? Most real people don't live lives structured around the pursuit of some driving passion -- just like how most people don't become start-up millionaires. You or I in specific may or may not be special, unique snowflakes, but any Life Advice premised on the recip…

Most real people don't live lives structured around the pursuit of some driving passion

Correct. Those are the people that Thoreau was talking about.

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#92

Post by eshvk »

mbesto wrote: post #34
nealabq wrote: post #16

Remember how those first few weeks of college were intensely social. You meet a lot of people you'll know the rest of your life. It's a critical time. I recommend: Social > academic. But they're intertwined, so work hard, and work with others in your core area. Be helpful and smart and humble. Don't worry about your non-core subjects (let others help you). Don't go nuts with freedom. Go to parties, but drink very lit…

Go to parties, but drink very little, avoid drugs, don't get caught up in sex. It's fun, but save it for later. Don't have a girlfriend at all, this is a time for lots and lots of friends. I personally think the opposite. It's your 20s, enjoy it while it lasts.

Exactly, I used to think and practice like the OP did. You find that all your friends start transitioning into couple things and you are a workaholic who doesn't have any interests outside of work. Sure, that is fun and it will be exciting to spend all your time solving the nth problem in your work BUT life is not just that. Life is experiencing everything, yeah all that yada yada about doing it in moderation holds obviously but still. You can't just live your entire life, hope to be interesting to a wide range of people encounter adventures if you isolate yourself and not do any of this!

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#93

Post by csmajor1234 »

JagMicker wrote: post #58

Here are some things I wish someone would've shared with me... - If you want to thrive in the professional world, get a fucking haircut and at least look the part. - If you think that you can send out a bunch of resumes and be flooded with calls about job offers, you are wrong. - Most of the phrases you've heard in your youth are true. Ex. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". See the above point. If you get a job (or…

I disagree about your second point. I'm a CS Major at a top 10 program, with a pretty good GPA (~3.7). This is a throwaway account btw.

During this fall recruiting season, I sent out my resumes to all the top companies, and was offered interviews at every single one. With the exception of two companies, I received offers from everywhere I interviewed, including Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft. I think the market is so hot right now that you CAN get showered with job offers just by sending out a lot of resumes.

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#94

Post by eru »

bicx wrote: post #60
nostrademons wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I felt the same, until I started seeing my job as not "Do what my boss tells me to" but as "Contribute something awesome to the world." That job is never done - there's always some other project you could be working on, some way you can make your product better, someone else you can help out. On the plus side, it's a lot more fulfilling than feeling like you put in 8 hours for a boss so you can have 7 hours to yourse…

I'm in the same boat here. I worked for a Fortune 500 corporation for the first 3.5 years after college, and for the most part I was just putting in my 8 hours. I enjoy software development, but the atmosphere and mentality at this business didn't encourage you to go the extra mile. If you said, "Man, I love this company," people would give you strange looks, probably suspecting you of being a suck-up. There was a lo…

> [...] and vacation is unlimited.

I think there's a case to be made for mandatory vacation. Just make people take off at least two weeks every year.

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#95

Post by 001sky »

peter_l_downs wrote: post #76
JDSD wrote: post #64

The vast majority of kids who enter college do so right after high school. They are used to summers off, parents sending tuition checks and allowances for rent/living. There is a misunderstanding in todays youth that college is a social club with the side effect of gaining an education. Few kids choose their school on quality of education, but rather how big the parties are/what the scene is like. To me this entire s…

There is a misunderstanding in todays youth that college is a social club with the side effect of gaining an education. Few kids choose their school on quality of education, but rather how big the parties are/what the scene is like. Source? This seems extremely anecdotal. Life after college isn't hard at all. This generation is simply not used to feeling ANY discomfort or pain in their sheltered little lives. This is…

Asking for "source" on how the world works? LOL

Actually, having street smarts would be anecdoatal;

Actually having street smarts would be anecdotal.

But this is OK. It's the point of the thread...

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#96

Post by sown »

quit wrote: post #90
sown wrote: post #50

One thing I noticed is that it is very, very lonely. I'm still trying to figure out ways to meet people and make friends, good friends even. No dice. Maybe I'm just not very fun to be around.

Or maybe you should stop trying so hard to meet people and make friends and just be

What do you mean?

If I don't try then I just stay at home.

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#97

Post by frozenport »

>>Play with your schedule. Wake up earlier, go to bed later. Time-shifting is your friend.

This is bad advice, in college you can skip classes and choose where to fail, you can't skip meetings and your mistakes live can't be dismissed. Having an inconsistent sleep schedule is a great way to mess up your life.

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#98

Post by nelsonweiss »

sown wrote: post #50

One thing I noticed is that it is very, very lonely. I'm still trying to figure out ways to meet people and make friends, good friends even. No dice. Maybe I'm just not very fun to be around.

Sown,

Normally I wouldn't go off topic like this but I didn't see any way to contact you and I just wanted to tell you that:

a. Don't give up on finding friends. It may seem rough right now but these things have a way of changing over time so just persist and you'll succeed.

b. Lighten up. Smile a little. Instead of thinking crap like "I'm just not fun to be around", take a look about and realize "damn, what an amazing world. I have a rough time getting out and meeting people but when I stay in there are millions of people right here with me, just a few feet and two screens away."

Things'll work out. Don't worry.. :)

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#99

Post by therealarmen »

michaelochurch wrote: post #89

What got me in the adult world was "4.0 syndrome". (Well, my actual GPA wasn't 4.0, but close.) Not that I was used to getting great grades and had a rude awakening, because school was a lot more intellectually challenging than 95+ percent of what I encountered in the real world, but that school led me to believe the world was more meritocratic, fair, and straight-forward than it actually is. For example, some teache…

Well put. College is a constrained optimization problem, and real life is not. The only way to figure that out is to live it.

As an aside, I know a lot of people here on HN find your comments to be overly aggressive, but I love them. Keep it up.

Re: Things I wish someone had told me about life after college

#100

Post by guitarhacks »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #77
guitarhacks wrote: post #39

Nice tips but I already knew that in elementary school. The most important thing is not the transition after the college or university but your work and making connections WHILE you are studying. - You must build your network while you are studying and find people who you like to work with (look at Facebook?). Of course that depends on what University you are studying. Better University, better networks. - Besides ch…

You're picking up lots of downvotes, including from me. I'm going to explain why. * Your first point is trite. Everyone says, "find your passion". Guess what? Most real people don't live lives structured around the pursuit of some driving passion -- just like how most people don't become start-up millionaires. You or I in specific may or may not be special, unique snowflakes, but any Life Advice premised on the recip…

Hmm..You totally missed my points and managed to insult me and my work, although the part with puppies was funny :)

* I never said you have to be a snowflake. I know that most men live quite lives of silent desperation, as Thoreau once stated. My first point was about making a network, BEING SOCIAL. And working on something you like.. I am not talking about true passion because for some people they need time to find it. Is it that hard to find something you like and collaborate with other people on it?

* brown noser? I was never nice with teachers. My problem was, since elementary school I mostly did not like my teachers and often times told them what I think. Why is somebody who wants more a brown noser. In my life I had few good teachers and always tried to learn as much as I could from them. I was not like a pest at the lecture or kissing ass. There is a difference. My point was that you alone or with somebody else make a nice project and show it to him or her for example. Not boost on lectures asking stupid questions.

* whats wrong with going to other lectures?

* Of course you have to enjoy your life at the Uni, I did. But also some people do it too much. I just wrote don't do it too much.

My teacher meant crazy because I would stay for all the classes and listen to the all the lectures while other people would goo home after theirs, there were other things as well.. now we come to my profession. I studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, classical guitar with one of the best guitarists today. And I was the youngest student, age 15. I visited lots of other universities including Juilliard etc. and played in US and Europe. Maybe that will clarify some things and explain the crazy comment. I also did audio programming, jazz, composition with other people as well. And I was crazy about linux, still am. I would argue how better is from windows etc. In short, avoid me next time you go to the concert hall :) Maybe my style and English is a bit brash but all I wanted was to give some tips based on my insights. Here is my recording from youtube http://youtu.be/n9c48k4FDx8 My sincerity and truth telling is clear from this music.

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