As I’ve definitely mentioned before, I graduated from my music degree last year, and since then I’ve had a crazy theatre filled summer, got my first professional house share, and my first full time job. I’ve also learned a lot and realised a lot, specifically in terms of comparisons between student life and adulting life. So, here are a few things I’ve learned over the past 6 months.
Early mornings are HARD.
Throughout my three years at uni I was pretty much constantly tired, but now that I get up at 6:30am 5 days a week I have no idea how that was ever the case. 9ams used to be a big deal, but now I start work at 8am every day, and have no choice but to get up and go!! I’m not saying that I leap out of bed when my alarm goes off (especially as the dark winter mornings make it SO unappealing), but I have definitely got into a routine. My former uni student self would laugh if I told her that I now go to bed at 10:30pm most nights!
It’s an all or nothing life
At uni I constantly had things I needed to do hanging over me – assignments, rehearsal preparations, piano practice – and these tasks were present in my brain ALL THE TIME. I never really felt like I got a rest from it all, because there was always something else I needed to be doing. But now that I have a job, all my work is done at work, leaving my evenings and weekends completely free! Obviously some jobs require work at home, but I’m lucky that mine (for the most part) does not. Honestly, having a totally empty weekend with no responsibilities other than, y’know, other boring adulty stuff like housework and food shopping, is so liberating. Would recommend.
Not everyone is your age
This sounds completely obvious, but hear me out. At school and uni, and all the time until you graduate, you’re mostly surrounded by people of your own age, give or take a few years. However, when you’re thrown into the workplace, there are people as young as 18, and others nearing retirement age in their 60s. It has been really nice to socialise with people who aren’t just in their late teens/early twenties, and I really do love my colleagues, but sometimes I can’t help but crave time with a big group of people who are the same age as me, and at a similar life stage to me. I definitely didn’t appreciate the social hub that was uni enough at the time.
A professional house share sounds deceptively nice, but it’s still better than student housing
So I live in a house with 4 other people, none of whom I previously knew, and luckily we get on! My landlord is 100 times nicer and more attentive than my student landlord (who, by student standards, wasn’t bad at all), and the house is *usually* in a relatively good state! Sure, there’s some mould in my room and the kitchen ceiling is a bit of a mess, but it’s a waaaay nicer living space than your average student house. Oh yeah, and it’s quite nice that when you get up at stupid o clock in the morning, other people are up and about too. Solidarity!
You’ll be in debt, but it doesn’t matter
And finally, I’m earning nowhere near the amount that I need to be in order to start paying back my hefty student loan. Props to any recent graduates who are!
that musical theatre nerd 