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Goofball83, first of all...Congratulations on graduating...and finding a job! Those are both something to be commended. Your life has changed greatly, and you are now working in the adult world. Time to carve out a new life!
I'm not sure what size city you are living in, but there are lots of community activities to get involved in...sports leagues, singing groups, community bands, community theatre, etc. These will all give you opportunities to meet lots of people. Don't forget to join your college alumni association. They will have local meet-ups. Why not start out by joining a gym? Or...take evening classes toward your master's degree. There are also short community education classes offered through most colleges where you can pursue personal interests, such as cooking, computers, car repair, personal finance...all kinds of things...anything where you can meet people. And...don't forget to volunteer!
Opportunities to meet people are endless. Take a photography or theater improv class, or a cooking class. Get involved in local enviro or political action orgs. Go to professional conferences, and mingle. Develop new interests as well as cultivating old hobbies. I had a better social life after college than in college. A surprising number of students actually find college to be cold and impersonal. If you're not into the party scene, it's not easy to meet people.
Living life is a creative act. It is what you make of it. Will your life be a work of art, or a mass-produced piece of kitsch? The choice is yours.
I went ahead and submitted my separation paperwork in February, and I will be leaving the Army in November. Luckily there are military headhunters/recruiters out there, so I do have interviews set up for December when I am back from Korea. But essentially, I chose to take a leap of faith and be unemployed for an unknown amount of time. This unknown was extremely scary at first, but has slowly recharged me over the months and has transitioned to excitement.
Sorry for the length of this post, but my bottom line is...for the first time in years I can actually say I'm excited about life, and it makes me feel a few years younger. .
Sorry to laugh at you, but, you messed up. I know when you are 25 or so, you think you know. I certainly did, we all did. you do not know squat. But I know this, you could have "retired" at 41, with MEDICAL. That is all that matters, RETIREE MEDICAL Insurance.
I kind of got a wake up call when I was gonna get out of navy in 1979. Google that date and "gas crisis." A real wake up call. I mean, I think gas shot up to $1.29 a gallon, but back then, that was the early stage of armageddon! Believe it or not, 3 - 4 blocks of lines, trying to get gas was the NORM.
You see, you smart young guys think you have it all figured out.
You will work till 70 unless you get really really lucky. That is 50 years, my friend.
If you put in 20 years in military, you are gonna have "retirement health care when you are 42...forever. And still have 30 years at the grindstone.
I have millionaire friends that are working today, just for company health insurance. Even with O-care, if you are 52, ready to kick back, and have some sort of pre-existing, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET INSURANCE that is both affordable and viable.
But I know you and millions "know" better. I was a 22 year naval officer and a 10 year Fortune 100 exec in the Insurance Biz. Not the first rodeo.
You need to take the long view on life, not the short view, doing things to make yourself feel younger.
No one can tell young people, though, everyone has to figure it out.
Young and dumb did not just randomly come together, the expression is there for a reason.
Oh, I am still working, trivially, with LOTS OF FREE TIME, but I don't need much of a job, cause I got my healthcare. Free.
And I'm accused of being a downer over at the Las Vegas forum.
This is ridiculous advice. The OP is just out of college, and if memory serves, has no debt. It would be a horrible waste of youth to not go out there and go live a dream. My dream was to see the world. So that's what I did at his age.
It made me worldly and interesting. It helped me with the other great pursuit of my youth -- women. Backpacking the world also gave me a dose of confidence that those folks down in the projects will never have.
Why on Earth would people advise this young man to give up and "settle into a humdrum routine?" Why not just hand him a noose, while you're at it?
That is not advice, it is real. Sober up and re-read. You crapped out with your nonsensical comment.
yeah, life after college has been monotonous. it has been about a year since i graduated. i got a job last june. i have been working two jobs for the last year trying to put away some dough for retirement and stock trades.
there has been some useful responses on here. i dont think i have the type of personality to go completely spontaneous like some on here, but i am trying to come out of my shell. most of everyone i knew from college were acquantainces or drinking buddies at best and have their own lousy lives to live. so, i don't really know where to start. dating? too expensive. the only thing people my age can do around here is hit the local downtown spot and get hammered. while that is fun, it is a shallow existence and gets old after a while
i have too been descending into a rut. after working 60 hours a week and dealing with a sick parent that cannot be self-sufficient, there is just no time left over to be a "free spirit" or re-capture my diminishing youth
Sorry to laugh at you, but, you messed up. I know when you are 25 or so, you think you know. I certainly did, we all did. you do not know squat. But I know this, you could have "retired" at 41, with MEDICAL. That is all that matters, RETIREE MEDICAL Insurance.
I kind of got a wake up call when I was gonna get out of navy in 1979. Google that date and "gas crisis." A real wake up call. I mean, I think gas shot up to $1.29 a gallon, but back then, that was the early stage of armageddon! Believe it or not, 3 - 4 blocks of lines, trying to get gas was the NORM.
You see, you smart young guys think you have it all figured out.
You will work till 70 unless you get really really lucky. That is 50 years, my friend.
If you put in 20 years in military, you are gonna have "retirement health care when you are 42...forever. And still have 30 years at the grindstone.
I have millionaire friends that are working today, just for company health insurance. Even with O-care, if you are 52, ready to kick back, and have some sort of pre-existing, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET INSURANCE that is both affordable and viable.
But I know you and millions "know" better. I was a 22 year naval officer and a 10 year Fortune 100 exec in the Insurance Biz. Not the first rodeo.
You need to take the long view on life, not the short view, doing things to make yourself feel younger.
No one can tell young people, though, everyone has to figure it out.
Young and dumb did not just randomly come together, the expression is there for a reason.
Oh, I am still working, trivially, with LOTS OF FREE TIME, but I don't need much of a job, cause I got my healthcare. Free.
Thanks for your opinion, but it's YOURS. I have plenty of people in my life with more than 20 years' service who wholeheartedly support my exit, and think I'm making a good move.
I feel bad for those who are okay with spending 20 of 80ish years of existence doing something they don't love for nothing more than a retirement check and healthcare, that's pathetic. Selling out for money... If that's what life is all about, I might as well just go ahead and off myself right now.
Young and dumb? So happiness and life satisfaction require an age to understand? That's such a joke. And I love the condescending tone that always comes along with preaching to my generation. At least we can look outside the box a little when it comes to conducting life, and the obligatory "my generation didn't put us in the current economic state we're in" is always a nice touch. Yeah we may not know it all, but I'd rather live a life of figuring it out, than a life of hunting a retirement check and healthcare benefits.
I feel bad for those who are okay with spending 20 of 80ish years of existence doing something they don't love for nothing more than a retirement check and healthcare, that's pathetic. Selling out for money... If that's what life is all about, I might as well just go ahead and off myself right now.
Young and dumb? So happiness and life satisfaction require an age to understand? That's such a joke. And I love the condescending tone that always comes along with preaching to my generation. At least we can look outside the box a little when it comes to conducting life, and the obligatory "my generation didn't put us in the current economic state we're in" is always a nice touch. Yeah we may not know it all, but I'd rather live a life of figuring it out, than a life of hunting a retirement check and healthcare benefits.
When you get older, you're going to want that retirement check and healthcare benefits.
But don't get me wrong -- that can all wait. If you are young and debt free, make the absolute most of it by shooting for one of your dreams. Go for the one that works best when you're young and debt free. There will be plenty of time for career and family and all the rest.
There are a great deal of miserable people in this world. Some of them are miserable because they never had any opportunity ever. That's a true shame. But what's even worse are the people in the developed world who are miserable because they squandered their youth and never tried to "go for it."
You have to decide what the "it" is in "go for it." But do go for it. You'll be much happier now, and later for having tried, even if you don't succeed.
Thanks for your opinion, but it's YOURS. I have plenty of people in my life with more than 20 years' service who wholeheartedly support my exit, and think I'm making a good move.
Anyone staying in 20 years just for benefits is a moron and a *****. I found that the military is a lot better organization than almost any civilian, private or public sector job.
You are right, I did express my opinion. I sorta believe that is what this forum is for, but it may be wrong,
I will stop with that. You gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck.
You are right, I did express my opinion. I sorta believe that is what this forum is for, but it may be wrong,
I will stop with that. You gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck.
Yeah, this forum is for sharing opinions and experiences to assist others, not for implying that someone else's opinions are wrong or to "laugh" at their decision making.
The point I was making, back to the OP who left a good job for a higher paying one, is that taking a cut in pay or benefits package isn't always a bad thing, especially if it is for a more desirable lifestyle, like in my situation.
OP, just wait till you get married and have kids then the real fun will start. You'll look back on this time and marvel at the freedom you had. It's all about perspective.
Life is messy sometimes easy sometimes hard, keep a positive attitude if you can't do that then adopt a neutral attitude you will look back on this time as easy.
We are all here to learn life is not a resort but its not the gulag either enjoy the good times and learn from the bad.
Another thing you have to consider is that life isn't about your own happiness. Life is a struggle. It's hard work. It's not supposed to be fun or easy. Fortunately, life is also short, so do you best for your family, loved ones, and strangers, and maybe it will pay off in the afterlife (if you believe in one - personally I do). And the ironic thing is that people who seek the happiness of others before their own tend to be happier than those who seek their own happiness.
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