"Wouldn't it be nice...

...if we were older then we wouldn't have to wait so long."

That's an interesting line from a Beach Boys song. In this context I'm going to talk about it not in the intended sense but in one that applies to my current state in life. As a fresh college graduate life is rapidly changing, yes that's cliche but it is. The main difference is getting a job, albeit summer job, though it's a job nonetheless. For a little background here's my work experience during college

Summer after freshman year: Worked for SMI processing checks in NC for 40-60 hrs/wk

Summer after sophomore and junior year: Interned for the City of Carrollton and worked from 8:30-12:30 so work half day get half paycheck

Summer after graduation: Interning at J. Smith Lanier and Company full time

So that puts us back to the present. I got to thinking tonight as I was sitting in front of my computer waiting to talk to folks that doing such as thing is pretty sad. Yes I sat here longer today than usual due to the deluge outside but still why don't I do something else? One conclusion which came to mind is that I don't really have a life. My 3 friends from high school that I always do stuff with aren't in town this summer so that knocks out one boredom fighter right there. The second thought that crossed my mind is that life in the real world is mundane and repetitive. You get up at the same time everyday, go to work and do your thing there, and then come home. Wow sounds exciting to me. Maybe it's because my job is really, really boring and consists of filling, unfileling, typing stuff into the database, and getting and taking the mail to the post office. I keep telling myself it pays the bills which it will do in the fall when I need the money, however would I want to spend the rest of my life in such a position? The answer is a definitive no. As a result, I have started to grasp the concept that people always preach, love what you do. Hopefully I'll be able to do that after grad school, it just seems so far off. Yes I did say that the working life is mundane, repetitive, and boring but maybe that changes once you get into it for a year or so and start making money. Well at least that's what I'm hoping. I'm not hoping that money will make me happy, I just hope that once I get settled I can start to actually have a life adn get involved. Being a transient student makes you less and less a part of a community as time passes. People move, things change, you get out of the loop or farther from the loop that you were never in. Summers away from friends and a routine are not very fun, and I'm just now starting to realize that. I fully intend to make the most of the last two years of college at UNC. Hopefully, it won't take me two years to make friends and actually get to start knowing people.

Well back to my original quote, does it really get better as we get older? Hopefully it does, finding friends, organizations, building relationships seem to help the time pass in a less painful way.

Until later,
Brian

Comments:

katie ( / ) (IP: 66.143.112.16)
i think that the worst thing about college is how much it sucks to have friends leave. i mean, i can't really imagine that you aren't gonna be there this fall. people move away and being with my sister has sort of reinforced the fact that we will all separate, because she and her friends are so scattered now. it's sort of a sad thing, but inevitable. the cool thing is that we will get to stay friends and keep up and visit each other and all that. this summer i have had the distinct feeling that i'm waiting to go back to school to feel like i'm in the loop of all of you in atlanta, but i realize that i have to just do what i'm doing now, and wait for stuff to happen in its own time. if any of that made sense...
2003/07/21 @ 20:34:05