Life after school - Transitioning and Moving On

Posted December 29th, 2008 by Purazar
in

After having spent close to 20 continuous years in school, seven of those in university I am finally done. Soon to receive the official paper that states I have a Bachelors in Computer Science - Software Engineering.

Unlike a majority of students that graduate college/university, I am not frantically job hunting since I'm already working in my field.

Therefore over the past three years, this full time work and part time school was a delicate balancing act. Moreover, this has been my routine for the past three years. Gladly, yet sadly, this has come to an end. Over the next few months I'm going to have to transition into an adult 'working life' and try to fill the void left by the hours of school work that pre-occupied me with something useful.

So, here are a few questions for you:

  • What have you done (or would you do) with those piles of notebooks, assignments and exams?
  • What have you done (or would you do) with the sudden influx in free time?

I already find myself looking for new hobbies, things to read and people to talk to. I've been spending tons my time with my family - which is great. I've already picked up a few books from the library and have a list of books to buy (borrow) in the near future.

So my main questions is - How do you end such an important chapter in your? Or am I making this a bigger deal than it really needs to be?

It's a big deal

On February 2nd, 2009 Phil A (not verified) said:
Hey, congrats on finishing your degree. I recently just started with my studies. I love it. It's a completely new chapter and I guess beginning it is way easier than closing it. I imagined what it would be like to be finished with this part of your life. I guess it's a big deal to get into a regular adult life. But don't forget it's part of the cycle. You will never stop learning but it never will be the same again. Keep all the great memories and make the best out of the new chapter. Great topic you picked up.

It's not over yet!

On December 31st, 2008 Gail (not verified) said:

I didn't think I'd be continuing with school, but somehow I ended up in a Master of Computer Science program (I'm glad I did though!). I have a very strange balance between lots of free time (in the sense that I make my own schedule, and I'm done with my courses now), and having no time (because of household obligations, and getting involved with too many things, as usual).

But there are hobbies I've been trying to take care of, too. For example, after a year and a half of my wedding, I have finally finished my wedding scrapbook. I hope to get to know my new camera more intimately. I want to ride my motorcycle in the summer more. I keep writing in my blog at least 8 times a month (this is a big one!). Granted, I don't watch TV, and if I did, I'd so not be doing all this!

Anyway, as for notes etc, I have a plastic filing bin with my old tests and assignments (the hard copies), and a backup of everything digital. I didn't keep notes - they just aren't useful anymore. I have all my text books though. I love my books.

The first thing I did was

On December 29th, 2008 Sharon (not verified) said:
The first thing I did was sleep. Whenever I wanted, for however long I wanted. What did I do with all my assignments and notebooks? Most of it is kept on a flash drive so I don't have to worry too much about space. I went out and bought myself a really large plastic storage bin (one that can fit under my bed) and put all of my hard copies in there. My binders are tucked away nicely in a box and stowed away in my closet. If I really wanted to I could have given a lot of it away to someone a few years younger in the same program. That might be an option for you. As far as free time is concerned, I spend a lot of shopping. I've recently started watching Smallville from season 1. There are a lot of really good TV series' available for rent from Blockbuster. That's something to consider between other hobbies. Day trips or short road trips are also something we've been doing lately. That requires a little more coordination with the significant other but it's still do-able :o)

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