Since our childhood when we all used to fancy adulthood, we have taken a fancy to the independent ‘Professional Life’. Well, let the truth be said. Entering into professional life can be really exciting. I mean, you become financially independent; the thought itself is very exciting. The way you would wait for your 1st salary to be credited into your bank account and then finally receiving that highly awaited message from the bank is very tempting to think about.
Moreover, your work life makes you meet new people ‘professionally’. You build up contacts for professional growth. You get a chance to meet ‘the successful people’ of your respective field. Considering all these facts and so many more, it really seems exciting, doesn’t it?
Now, let’s talk about the other side of this whole new phase. The thing that worries anyone who is new to this professional life is the abrupt change that one has to face after college, a place where he/she had been a free soul. Now, I’m not trying to draw any comparisons between college life and work life. It is just that soon after college, it might take some time for you to get used to being in this whole new phase. It might even be a bit depressing at times as the complexity of daily life gets a notch higher.
The major difference that I have noticed throughout this huge transition is that life changes, and I would term this as ‘a sudden change’.
College life is undoubtedly the best phase that one could ever ask for. It brings along so much fun with newly-found friends, late-night talks and debates, last moment assignment work, group studies (that never actually go well), long unplanned road trips and of course, the never-ending preparation nights before exams. All these are the memories that you stumble upon and laugh at later.
But professionally, things turn around a bit. You make friends here too, but not like the ones whom you cherished in college. They are more like ‘professional friends’. The late-night talks and debates turn into late-night work. Bunking is never an option here. Working in the 11th hour doesn’t really help. Group studies get replaced by group meetings that are pretty serious. Long road trips with friends turn into a peace-seeking weekend at home as a break from the routine. You will still be staying up all night sometimes, but not for exam preparations but for reports and presentations.
I do not intend to demotivate you about being a professional. I’m just surprised by the fact that two consecutive and equally-vital phases of life are so contradictory towards each other. The more amusing reality is that you need to traverse the first in order to kick-start the next!
Congratulations amigos, we have finally grown up, and this is our REALITY!
