Reasons I miss college

#BigKidProblems

Yes. I did just hashtag my blog post. I know you're probably thinking, this is Twitter, what are you doing. Well it's my blog and I'll hashtag as I see fit. #SorryNotSorry. I did it again.

So I have been an "adult" for about 6 weeks now. At the end of August, I moved out of my house and started a job in Hickory, NC, in the same town that I went to college in. Upside, I know a ton of people, I know the area, and I'm still close to "home." Downside, I'm not in college anymore which means that all of the fun and crazy things that I could do when I was in undergrad are no longer as excepted...

Things that you can do while in college that you can't do in the real world:

1. Take a nap at 2 p.m. Apparently napping is frowned upon in the workplace.
2. Drink until 2 a.m.
3. Do anything until 2 a.m. for that matter. My bed time is now 10 p.m. I'm like a grandparent.
4. Spend less than 5 minutes getting ready for the day. In college, I could literally wake up, throw on a bra and some pants and be good to go. In the real world, I actually have to care how I look. Bummer.
5. Sleep through a meeting/class. The real world isn't really up on "excused absences" unless it's directly medical related. Being hungover and just not showing up is not a legitimate excuse. You do not get three tries. You get one. It's called being fired.
6. Post negative things about your superiors (i.e. professors). Posting hurtful and ill-advised comments about your workplace or boss are cause for being fired. Most companies now have a social media policy. So that also means that those "totes presh pics" that your BFF posted of that night you don't remember are probably not a good idea either.
7. Have a fall break, spring break, winter break, and summer break. Yeah. You think those things are nice while you're in college? You'll REALLY miss them once you graduate.
8. See your friends whenever you want. When I want to visit my closest friends, there is either a lot of driving or even a plane trip involved. Paris, France, West Virginia, and Chicago are a long ways away from little ole Hickory.
9. Snap instead of clapping. Shout out to all my Greeks. You know what I'm saying. When someone speaks at a meeting and people applaud them, it's no longer cute and acceptable to snap. Fail.
10. Carry on a sexual relationship (i.e. one night stand) with multiple people you see frequently. Such as, the hot guys from accounting, IT, sales, distribution, and marketing. Yeah...it's not like college where it's somewhat expected/accepted. It's another thing that can get you fired. Most companies have policies against relationships in the workplace. (And for the record, this is not a practice that I had in college either...so if you're reading this Mom, don't freak out.)


College is definitely something that I miss. I realized this when I had to pay bills today, and when waking up at 6:30 became routine. Growing up is hard, but then again, it's also fun in its own way. For example:

1. I no longer have to buy coffee. Our office serves free Starbucks coffee all day, every day. Win.
2. I rarely have homework. Almost all of my assignments are completed during the day, or can be finished the next business day. One point for the real world.
3. I get paid. No one pays you to go to college. Quite the opposite. College is expensive. The real world pays you to be an adult. Even though I have bills, being paid to do something I am good at is sort of fun.
4. I only have to share my shower with the people that I want to share it with. No more dorm rooms, no more mini fridges, no more Ramen Noodles unless I actually want them.
5. Company-issued technology. Last time I checked, Lenoir-Rhyne wasn't giving out MacBook Pro's with the latest Adobe software, Toyotas, or iPhones. My company does.
6. An empty gym. My office has a gym in it, and it is usually empty. That means no one to hog the last treadmill, no one to compare yourself with, and no creepy people who watch you. Yeah. We all know someone like that, just admit it.
7. No more advisor. Let's just get real. We all knew a kid whose advisor tried to royally screw them in college. Heck, maybe some of you...or us...WERE that kid getting screwed. At my job now, my "advisor" is my boss and coworkers, and instead of trying to mess with me, they praise, encourage, and guide me. Now, that's not the same everywhere, but dang, when you have it, it sure is nice!
8. You can now drink with your professors. Oh yeah. It happens. I have a gathering with a former professor this Friday actually. Be jealous.
9. I don't have to buy office supplies. As much fun as back-to-school shopping was, I get that every time I get to go into the supply room. For free. As many #2 pencils as my heart desires. Plus white out, paper clips, staplers, hole punchers, notebook, pens, scissors, rulers, hand sanitizer, tissues, post it notes, notebooks...you get the point.
10. No one is encouraging you to go to Cookout at 3 a.m. Trust me. As much of a God-send as Cookout may seem now, when you look back and wonder how you got that Freshman 15 (or however much it was), Cookout probably had some, if not all, to do with it.