The Benefits of a Non-Traditional Post-Grad Year

The Benefits of a Non-Traditional 

Post-Grad Year

College ended in May 2018 for me. It was a terrible, rainy day, and, unknown to me, the day my very traditional life became a little less linear. During undergrad,  I loved my psychology major and the friends I had made. However, I had no clue what to do next. I had spent my senior year fundamentally switching careers after I decided that my lifelong goal of being a lawyer was no longer favorable: teaching, social work, nursing, nomad, artist, you name it. 

Fear not -- I am going to graduate school in September 2019 for business; I still don't know fully what I want, but at least I'll get a job. Yes, that is a year after all my friends started their advanced degrees or jobs -- a fact that haunts me every day. As someone who has always tried to me ahead of the curve in life-planning, this year between undergrad and grad school has been a real low. 

While I could focus on how much of a classic your-20s-are-a-mess year I've had, I want to focus on how taking a year off before grad school was a good idea. Here are some of the benefits of this funky year I've had:

1. Fulfill Wonky Fashions

I have wanted to dye my hair for years! For quite literally a decade, I have wanted to dye my hair a bright, unnatural color. However, since I was a “good kid” in high school, and thought it would be a pretty immature decision in college, the most radical coloring I did was natural highlights. In my year off, I did not have to worry about looking professional every second and figured it’s now or never with my hair. On an impulse, my friend bleached and dyed my hair bright red from a box kit a few days before I left my job in Florida. I loved my hair instantly! I’m realistic and would never keep it for business school, but it was nice to have a a little just because I could.

2. Cool Job Opportunities 

Note, I said 'job' not 'career,' so that includes hourly wages, standing long hours, and trying not to kill people with my excellent customer service. Even though these jobs were terrible sometimes, they were pretty cool. What job you may ask? Remember that Florida job I just mentioned, yeah, that was for Walt Disney World Parks. At risk of ruining the magic, I won’t say too much about the actual job. As for the company, I worked for DISNEY! Childhood dream: realized! I would not want to work the job I had there forever, but it was great to work there a few months just to get a taste of the Disney life. 

3. Tuesday is the new Friday

After I finished my job at Disney, I took a job at a restaurant in my hometown. My hours were mostly nights and weekends, you know, when everyone else is free. I could focus on how everyone was able to do things when I was busy, but instead I could focus on how I got to do things when everyone else was busy. I didn’t have to deal with screaming kids at the beach because I would go on Tuesday mornings. I was actually able to get good seats to a new, Broadway show with 11 Tony nominations because I saw it on a Tuesday night; Tootsie was amazing by the way! I met Santino Fontana (aka Prince Hans of the Southern Isles) after the show!

4. J Chillin’

Free time has become my enemy. I have so much of it that the rule of inertia has prevented me from doing anything. Finding motivation for one thing is difficult when you have nothing to do. In my laziness, I did manage to read a lot of books, watch a lot of movies, and watch A LOT of T.V.. Sure, I feel guilty about lounging sometimes, but then I watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend or Game of Thrones and the guilt goes away. I did not have lounging time in undergrad, so taking so time to understand pop-culture references that were not SpongeBob-based was probably a wise move. 

5. You Will Appreciate Your End Goal SO Much More

I am going to graduate school in a few months and could not be more thrilled to be going back to an academic setting. I am not burned out from academics because I had a year without 12 page papers and 100 page readings. I spent a year picking up jellybeans off the floor, cleaning bathrooms, and wondering why I studied the brain in school to do THIS. Graduate school will allow me to use my brain again and feel value in my work and ideas. After the jobs I have had, I genuinely cannot wait to have a 9-to-5 desk job where I can pick the clothes I wear to work. This lifestyle is one though I thought I would resent. Nowadays, my feet after a 12 hours standing shift would kill my for being ungrateful anytime where I get to sit. I cannot wait have fulfilling work, but mostly, I cannot wait to be paid while I sit!