Post university sadness

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

I wonder how many of us here felt worse after finishing university studies. It's so common to struggle after graduation that this term, post-graduate depression, was coined: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/health/post-graduate-depression?origin=serp_auto to describe how the period after finishing a degree can be tumultuous for one's mental health.

Since finishing university, my ctb thoughts have been non stop. I think the academic environment was a good distraction from many of my problems and gave me a sense of purpose. The thing about university is, you really feel like part of a community especially if you are on campus a lot and seeing the same people everyday. My university had lots of groups and activities that just.. don't really exist outside in the "real world" because the interests are so niche.

Whenever I was younger, I struggled way more with social anxiety and couldn't hold a conversation at all. Between high school age and going to university, I worked a lot of crappy jobs, and my motivation was always to get out of that environment and be able to have the experience that other 19/20 year olds were having, because work did not allow me to make any friends.

Going to university improved my social skills a lot and allowed me to start talking to others properly. Besides that, I genuinely love learning new things, and I don't really aspire for a career so to speak but to constantly be learning whatever I can. I think experiences are what's valuable to me more than anything and for the first time ever I got to experience being around so many new cultures and ideas.

Ever since I finished university, my life has been extremely depressing. Most of the people I know can't find employment and moved back in with their parents far away, and those younger than me still in university aren't the most welcoming. I had a part time job that I could manage well with my disabilities and they laid me off. Because I have unmanaged chronic pain, most jobs are difficult for me and are too demanding, I haven't been able to find any employment that I can physically do, much less something meaningful to me.

I always got told that "the real world" sucked, but I didn't anticipate just how bad it was going to get. Overnight, it's losing an identity, a sense of community, and purpose, then being told all there is from now on is being chained to a desk job for decades with people I have nothing in common with, once I find one. I don't want to own a house and I won't have children, so I really have nothing to look forward to. If it was up to me, and I had infinite money, I'd just do 10 degrees and learn everything but apparently this is weird and "mental." to others.

Did anyone else experience this after finishing your studies? Did you find "the real world" to be lackluster and disappointing?

 

[Demi-Fiend]

I did not go through a traditional college path, but I guess it was similar in the vocational trades. I pursued higher education to get a better grasp of knowledge in the field I was in; the induced euphoria of learning about it, held an extremely promising future for me. But after school, it was difficult for me to find employment in the field, and throw in the health complications that I was and still facing, the chandler cracked. After losing almost everything I've held dear this year, I'm starting to learn how to pick up the pieces and start over; there's no way I'll be able to handle the physical and mentally stimulating tasks in my ideal career with the state of condition my life and body are in right now. There are things I must unknow in order to live for a better future.

 

[BojackHorseman]

I felt very similar after college. I wasn't in a dorm, I just went to a 2 year community college, but I loved my time on campus. I was a little late going to school (long story) so I was in my late 20s. Most the kids there were indeed kids, teenagers fresh outta high school or still in high school doing early college. I also struggled socially in middle and high school so I had a blast socially, even though I was usually the oldest. I was part of the magic the gathering club and we played magic most every evening. I also think similar to you, that education itself has value, not just it's "usefulness". I love learning new things, I wish there was a job that just consisted of learning lol. I also struggle with employment due to physical and mental issues. I work in the career I went to school for, but I hate it. It's low physical stress so that's good (I used to do manual labor in factories) but it's extremely mentally stressful. Im switching to 3rd shift so I'm hopeful that being around less people will be more tolerable for me. It will mean more work cause there are less people staffed at night, but I'd rather work harder alone than have people around me. I am very much considering going back to college online to get a masters in accounting. It will take some time, but my hope is to be able to work from home with my puppies one day.
Sorry if my comment was a downer since I have no advice or words of encouragement. I atleast hope you find a little comfort in knowing your not alone.

 

[KillingPain267]

Is it possible that you study more and become a professor? Then you would stay at university for life.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I haven't finished university as I'm only a 2nd year undergraduate student but academics is making me so miserable because I don't have the motivation for this. All of this is just torture and pain for me. As for the social aspect of it, university hasn't really done anything regarding my lack of socialising. I still have never made any irl friends or acquaintances. I honestly don't even think I'd make it past university because this shit is just so intense and I don't have the motivation to do it as I don't have the motivation to do anything. I think that I may end up being homeless soon