Thursday, April 4, 2013

What about after college?

Full disclosure, I'm using you all right now in an attempt to not study for a test tomorrow. So deal with that.

But anyhow, today I was thinking about life after college. Yeah, sure, I have a basic plan. It's pretty simple, and has been getting simpler the closer it gets (big surprise, I'm realizing I'm lazy.) Originally, it was to move to Seattle or somewhere really far away. Just so I could. I'm tired of Texas, I said. I want to experience the world, I said.

But then I turned 21 and experienced Dallas for real. It's awesome. I never want to leave. All the other states and countries can suck it because I just fucking love Texas. I might get a job offer in Oklahoma, but I really dunno if I can live in Oklahoma. I despise that god awful state. (different rant for a different time, sorry.)

So my new plan is to move back with my parents for awhile, find a job close by and save up for a down payment for a house. That's the big exciting thing. Home ownership. I couldn't do that if I just ran off to some big city besides Dallas. I could just get an apartment, but I feel like owning a home is just one more step toward becoming a proper adult. I'm hoping it brings some sort of feeling of accomplishment to my life. I want a porch and a back yard and be able to have campfires and drink under the stars in the summer in privacy.

But I've known all this for awhile. What I was thinking about today was what about the rest of it? Sure, those are all pretty large scale things. But what about Friday night? Who am I going to go out with? What am I going to do with my time? With my luck, I'll be super lazy and stay at home and watch TV with my folks. That's nice and easy. No effort, no money. Maybe grab a six pack and just hang out in my back yard. Alone. Again, cheap, easy. But so lonely. I don't want to be lonely. My guess is I hang out with a few of my friends from high school, and maybe I make a few at work, if I'm lucky enough to find a job and find likeminded young people in said imaginary job.

It's a lot of free time to fill. What about weeknights? Do I suddenly become super domesticated? Spend my weeknights like my parents? Watching TV and doing laundry? I mean, I watch TV all the time already, but I do it with friends. It's completely different. I just can't imagine not having homework or something to be doing. Having a life separate from work. True free time where there's not that project or test looming in the back of my mind. I've worked very hard to fill my schedule in college, and there's always, always something I can be doing. Post college though... there's just nothing. No job, yet. No fraternity. No band. No school. No friends available every night. Just me and my parents. I'll probably go crazy.