Life after college?

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So I graduated from college about four months ago. It hasn't exactly been a party. I was having anxiety attacks my final semester, and they haven't subsided. In fact, they've led to all out depression, which I've never had before. I haven't found a job yet, my girlfriend and I broke up, and I'm thinking of moving back home with my family (thankfully to a job, not just to do it). Not to mention I think I'm suffering from post-college burnout, because I haven't really been inspired to do anything and I'm not even sure what I want to do now.

Plus, and this may be just me, but February was my 24th birthday. Maybe I'm having a quarter-life crisis, but I don't feel like I've accomplished much in my life so far, and it's getting to me. Not having found a job yet and now having no girlfriend hasn't exactly helped.

Did anybody else go through this after they got out of college? If so, how did you cope with it?

Kind of sounds like my life right now.

That's pretty much exactly how it was for me. School is easy for me, but transitioning into the "real world" was so confusing and such a clusterf**k that after I graduated I went into a wild depression and essentially went on a bender that lasted 2 1/2 years.

Things have gotten somewhat better now but I'm really glad to be going back to school in the fall. I have doubts that I'll ever be able to be truly successful in the professional world until I can actually work for myself, and I have many years of school left to grind through before I can qualify for the proper (clinical) licensure for that.


Edit: FYI I got my BA in 2005

Oh yeah. I remember

School was easy since your direction was already layed out & all you had to do was work hard. Having to make your own path is indeed much different. It's been 3 years, & I still can't tell you the best way to do that. Just do the best you can to set goals & acheive them one step at a time.

It was difficult for me too, I spent several months looking for a job in my major and hardly anyone would even interview me. I eventually ended up in a low paying government job and living in one room. No girlfriend or much of a social life at all for the matter, just me alone.

I spent most of my time on dialup BBSes and later AOL, as that was the only social life that worked for me. Friday and Saturday nights were spent alone, eating take out pizza, drinking beer, and watching TV or rented videos. It wasn't much of a life, but the only life I could have.

I went from college to graduate school. I don't know if I would have had this problem either way.

I do know that in my last semester of graduate school, I started having anxiety attacks. The on-campus therapist said that it was likely because I didn't want to pursue my chosen career (law) and he was correct. I had grown to hate it but didn't drop out of school because I wasn't inclined to quit.

Frankly, though, I think it was also the pressure of graduation coming down on me, knowing I needed a good paying job, and feeling deep down that I wasn't good enough to get any job, nonetheless a good one.

I know that sounds self-effacing, but so far my life has been the product of other people showing mercy towards me. Every job I got, I may have earned because I could do the work, but I certainly wasn't the "best" man for the job. Maybe how I contacted someone for a job impressed them, maybe they needed someone for "right now" and it worked out for a while, but ultimately, I have NEVER gotten a job because I was the best...it's always been more of a matter of my being there at the time someone was needed, and often the opportunity fades when the need is no longer present.

I have job security right now because my situation is one where if there is someone who can do my job better, the other guy is too lazy to bother interviewing for him.

So, before and after graduation, I was having mild panic attacks during interviews. These have gradually gone away, but I credit that to having a job. Yeah, I want to be hired, but I'm not in danger of going hungry if I'm not selected because I have a job already.

Was this because of AS, I'm not sure. I didn't have the problem before, but for several years I applied for jobs where I had an active interest in the job and felt I was good enough for it, so that may have carried me through the stress of the interview.

I'm in exactly the same place as you, except my BF is still sticking with me even though it's been rather MORE than a month and I still haven't found a job yet.;;;; (And we're living together so it's kind of a burden on him. Not to mention on my mom. OTL) I never realized how much I relied on the structure of school life.;;;
Don't be too hard on yourself though, everyone is having trouble with job stuff right now. Hell of a time to graduate, isn't it? D: D: D:
BUT WE CAN DO IT!!

Eeeek, sounds like where I might be in a few months. I've been advised to just take a job, any job to start off with and then once employed I can afford to be a little more picky so as long as you have a job back home it might be the best place to go. Good luck.

I will graduate in august. My life will probably suck pretty bad in some ways, but be good in others. I've given up on my field of study, I'm just finishing so I have a degree. I'm probably going to work in the oilpatch. So it will be lonely, scary, and tiring, but I will make good money. I just spent four years in university... no girlfriend, no life. Don't like my major anymore. No good job immediate job prospects in my field. I don't have much to lose.

Wow do I understand the boat that ur in buddy...

I also graduated four months ago and while I have found a job...it's working one on one with autistic kids who and applying the applied behavioral analysis program which basically says most of their behaviors are wrong and need to be changed to fit a textbook definition for how they should behave. It's also stirred up alot with me having flashbacks to acting a little like them when I was younger and somehow I've been able to remove that from my mind in my years in college...old habits die hard.

College was so much about structure...let me guess, you were that guy that hardly ever missed a class while so many others you knew took pride in skipping out on them? Also once you have a little stability of structure you can build from there to create more but when you have none...like post grad...its hard to build to anything. I also happened to have broken up with my girlfriend last semester too and in a nutshell been somewhat sad as well....

but as a doctor put it best this is situational depression meaning it too shall pass..yea it might take a year or so which REALLY SUCKS but if your smart you can learn something from it. It doesn't help that we're dealing with the worst economy ever..if some of our NT parents don't know what its like to be aspie well add not knowing what its like to deal with graduating in an economy like this on top of it.

STAY STRONG and know that ur not alone. I'm here if you need to talk just message me...im sure we can swap stories.

I had a similar experience...before I knew anything about AS. I don't know how well it would relate.

When I was finishing law school, I started having anxiety attacks in my last semester. I saw a campus psychologist, and the most obvious problem he saw was that when he asked me about why I wanted to be a lawyer, I couldn't give him a reason. There was a time I could, but he and I concluded that the attacks were likely because I knew I didn't want to be a lawyer and my subconscious was reacting to the pressure to pursue something I didn't want.

I knew about my issues with being a lawyer long before the last semester, but the stress of knowing I'd have to have an income and the pressure to start job hunting for something more meaningful than "work to get me by while in classes" was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

For me, I focused on the essentials....I needed to work to support myself. That helped. I still got minor attacks (even in interviews for jobs I knew I could handle), but I got work and started being self-sufficient (read as....not having student loans paying most of the cost of room and board).

Years later, I'm still working. Do I get anxiety attacks? None lately. In interviews? Not lately (not that I go on a lot of interviews). For the attacks associated with interviews, I have the benefit of interviewing for a better job. So, if they don't hire me, I'm not facing starvation or eviction....I bargain from a position of strength (I want the job, I don't NEED the job, I'm applying for).

Mid life crisis? Had mine at 30. Had an car accident that could have gone very ugly (but didn't) and knowing I had no promise of living past 60, the incident made me think about my life, where it has been going, and what I really wanted.

I understand what you're going through though I have not graduated yet. Even with one more year to go I've been having this crisis for a while now. I don't have a concrete plan as to what I'm going to do with my life. I don't want to jump into any job and get 'stuck' so I think I'm going to see what is out there and join americorp or the peacecorp. prob the former. it sucks to say but I'm gonna move all my stuff back home and sign up for one of those programs. Itll give me some time to think about what I want to do for the rest of my life. right now, i'm considering the healthcare field after americorp but my mind changes too quickly to be sure. i don't see a rush in securing a job if you don't know what you wanna do yet...you have plenty of years to do that... but i'm planning to play the field and see where that leads me. the main question i ask myself is: are you happy doing this? hope my thoughts help a little...

can't offer a direct answer bc i think its mainly up to how you feel. & what you want to accomplish.