Taking Baby Steps Towards Being a Grownup

I’ve been thinking for a while about what I would write for my first post on Gals Guide. And then I remembered a conversation I had with a friend over brunch a few weeks back where she told me the period of life right after college is where you are “taking baby steps towards being a grown-up.”

And she couldn’t have been more right. Moving to Washington, DC to start a job a scant three weeks after I graduated from college in Illinois was one of the most exciting things I have ever done. As much as I like to pretend my life is like an episode of The Hills (hey, there is NOTHING wrong with that!), however, it’s not. I had no idea the amount of things that exist in the “real world” that I was completely oblivious to during my years in college.

Things like furniture shopping, renewing drivers licenses, learning to cook (real food, not the microwavable crap I’ve lived off of for four years!), learning to drink like you’re NOT in college anymore, finding an apartment, then decorating that apartment, living on a budget, figuring out health insurance, relating to people who are much older than you – these are the things no one tells you about the real world.

Not knowing how to do any of these things has made my first few months out of college very interesting. But that’s exactly what life in the city after college is about --- taking baby steps towards being a grownup and figuring out those little daily rhythms that everyone else seems to have worked out already. And I’m learning that the journey is more fun than the destination!

You’ve graduated from college, made that cross-country move to the fantastic city of your dreams, landed the sweet job, found the sweet apartment – everyday I’m overwhelmed by how much possibility our lives are filled with in your early 20s. It is, in my opinion, the most exciting, thrilling, wonderful time of our lives. Yes, even better than college. Really!

So I’m really excited to be joining a great group of women at GG who understand how exciting this time is and who constantly deliver fresh advice on how to make the most of all of it. And I hope you’ll join me in taking baby steps towards being a grownup – it’s going to be a fun ride!

Comments

[Blagica]

Hello!
First, we are excited beyond words to have you.

Second, your writing echoes what I was feeling when I moved to Chicago in 1998. You brought back feelings and emotions I had - and the flashback of moving into my first place echoed thru.

Third, it is OK NOT to relate to folks older than you:). As long as you practice one simple thing with everyone - your career/life will be smooth sailing (I'm still trying to practice this one, too). Empathy. If you can take a step back and think about where the person you are talking to/working with is coming from, your perspective will change.

Welcome to the GG crew!