Should You Get a Job the Minute You Graduate from College?
Welcome to Twenty Something. This column- written by Caitlyn Garrity– explores the uncharted territory called your 20s. It’s funny, it’s witty, it’s honest.
In a month or so, many of you college seniors will take your first step into the real world… graduating from college. While it might feel like the death of the life you’ve known so far, it is an incredibly transformative time that looks different for everyone.
Remember that.
I graduated from college almost two years ago, and I remember going through a range of emotions. I wasn’t excited to graduate like some of my friends. College was four years of fun, friends, and learning, and I didn’t want it to end. I was also anxious to leave because it felt like leaving a nest and burning it as I went. I didn’t know what job I’d get, considering I had an internship in Minneapolis, where I lived, and I had no idea where I was headed.
A lot of your friends will be graduating in different ways. Some will be heading to medical school, law school, or grad school. Some will be taking a gap year. Some people will be going home and waiting for a job offer. And some, mostly our beloved finance bros, will start a job immediately after moving out of their college apartment.
The important thing to note in all of this: there is no right way to graduate from college. Your journey in college might’ve been similar to your classmates’, but that ends when you receive your diploma.
Now, when you're facing graduation and wondering what you should do, especially those of you in the job search, should you start a job immediately after graduating?
My advice to you is: it depends.
Many people told me once I graduated that I should move back home and spend some time with my family before heading into the real world. I’d highly suggest this option if family is important to you and you have the time to live with them for a little while. I lived with my family for three months, had an internship in Minneapolis, and enjoyed some freedom while saving up money before moving to South Carolina when I received my first full-time job offer. I got to spend the summer with my family, and it so happened to be the last summer I’d spend in my childhood home. I’m grateful for that time I got to spend with my family, still earning income to save up for a move I knew was coming. I can’t lie, it was hard at times to see people accepting big girl job offers while I was working an internship, living at home. But taking time in the summer to relax, leisurely apply to jobs, and see what would be a good fit for me was well worth it. It was a great bridge period to ease the transition into a full-time role and living on my own—if that’s where your journey is headed.
This might be a luxury for some and unavailable to others, so do what’s best for you. If that means living with your parents for a while to save money even after securing a full-time job, do that. If it means moving out and starting to work immediately, do that.
With social media, it’s so easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of your peers’ post-grad lives. Seeing classmates post about their luxury apartments, high-rise offices, endless vacations, and pricey nights out can mess with your mindset, especially if you feel like you’re not where you want to be yet.
But remember: social media is a curated highlight reel, not reality. Like they always say, comparison is the thief of joy, and that couldn’t be more true in the months (or even years) after college graduation.
I’d be lying if I said I never feel down when I open LinkedIn and see someone who coasted through senior year using ChatGPT land a prestigious job I’m not yet qualified for. But that’s just it: yet. You might not be there yet. And that’s okay.
The only person who gets to define your success is you. If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: do what’s best for you. What’s best for you might look completely different than what’s best for your peers, even if you share the same goals.
In golf, you can get a par by hitting the green in regulation and two-putting, but you can also get a par by chipping in after hitting it in the water.
Your journey is unique to you, so don’t base your decision on the way you perceive the journeys of others.
Congratulations to all the 2025 grads this summer, I am so proud of you and welcome to the “real world!” I promise it’s more fun than what people are telling you, you’ll just have to let it play out and see.
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