Blue Jeans

It’s been about three weeks since I graduated from college and about a month and a half since I submitted my last academic requirement. What have I been up to since then? Well, before the actual graduation, I had to attend to graduation-related requirements and did some initial job hunting. And since the actual graduation, I kept busy with the preparations for my graduation party and a few more job-hunting appointments. All time in between, I'm living the bum life. And man, am I relishing every moment of it!

Classes have started for my college buddies who haven’t graduated yet. So naturally, there’s a constant feed of school-related posts on Facebook. Having graduated only recently, these posts got me wondering if I miss school. And with relentless conviction – the answer was no. Haha!

I know many of you disagree and will say I will eventually eat my words about not missing school, and that soon enough, I myself will wish I were still a student. Having been stuck in college for 10 whole years, missing school is not within the realm of my thoughts and reflections in these days that I’m as idle as a bum could get. Well, at least not yet!

During the time when I was still a student but I really shouldn’t have been anymore (read: my delayed years, haha), my older friends who were already working would say, “Buti ka pa nga, student ka pa rin. Ako kaya, gusting gusto ko mag-aral ulit.” I’d reply, “Huwag mo sa akin sabihin iyan, gustong gusto ko na kayang maka-graduate!” But they would go on and on about the reasons why they’d give anything just to be able to go back to schooling and what I should be savoring.

So how about listing those numerous reasons now, and let’s see how long will it take for me to actually embrace these reasons as mine, too?

“You’ll miss being a student and studying.” They say that I will miss the classroom environment wherein I get to learn a lot of things every single day. At work, there won’t be as many opportunities to learn something new. Papers, projects, exams – these are things we normally hate about school! But these are the very things I will miss, if only for the excitement and rush they bring to our lives, haha.

Will I or won’t I? I don’t think I’ll miss this if I take on a career path that will still involve a lot of learning. Life is a constant learning experience anyway. Maybe it won’t be in a classroom setting, but there will still be learning.

“You’ll miss receiving an allowance”. Being dependent to your parents (or whoever is supporting you) is such a normal thing when you’re a student. You’re not expected to work for it, but money will be given to you. Of course, there will be times when you would have to exert more sweet effort to obtain it, but still, it will be given unto you.

Will I or won’t I? When you’re 26 and you’re still receiving allowance, that is not something to be proud of. ‘Nuff said.

“You’ll miss having school breaks or enjoying suspension of classes.” The feeling of seeing a flashing “Classes are suspended at all levels” on the TV screen is irreplaceable! Haha! Sembreaks, summer breaks, Christmas breaks – these are things that a student can look forward to after weeks and weeks of hard school work. Plus, when the weather is bad enough, you get a free day! When you’re already working, all you have are two-day weekends, and probably three-day weekends every three months or so.

Will I or won’t I? I guess this is one perk I will miss the soonest. Just this day, classes were suspended because of typhoon Dodong.

“You’ll miss dressing comfortably.” When you’re student, you can wear anything you want (at least for those who study in universities where there is no uniform). You can easily adjust your attire to the weather. But not when you’re working. I’ll be lucky if I will get to work in a company that allows smart-casual attire but if for example I would have to power dress every single work day – good luck to me on severe weather conditions! Haha!

Will I or won’t I? Wearing work clothes is actually something I am looking forward to. There is something about work clothes that makes you seem more mature and at times, even more handsome (and eligible, haha).

“You’ll miss having a social life”. They say I will be sooo busy with work to have time for anything else.

Will I or won’t I? Now this is a legitimate concern. But I guess it’ll depend on my future job. A lot of my college friends lost touch when they started working. I would always think that no one is THAT busy to even text every now and then. But what do I know, I am not yet in the critical position wherein the company’s operations depend on me.

“You’ll miss the student discount”. I’ve been enjoying this perk for quite a while now. Soon enough I will be enjoying the Senior’s Citizen’s discount. Haha!

Will I or won’t I? Of course I won’t, haha! When you’re working and fortunately, well-compensated, saving up to P40 per week will be the least of your concerns.

“You will miss having to delay adult decisions”. Well, when we’re still a student, we are still accountable to the people who pay our tuition, more often than not our parents. Although personal problems in college do level up, there will always be the escape option wherein we won’t have to make crucial adult decisions all the time.

Will I or won’t I? Oh I can’t wait to start making adult decisions for myself. Yes, I know it won’t be easy. But I am more than ready for the challenge.

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In all honesty, I am not missing school at all. Sure I miss my friends and classmates, but not the school nor the student status. I mean come on, having spent a whole decade for college alone, I have managed to experience practically everything that I want to experience. And with high frequency at that!

I don’t miss the classes. I don’t miss the thrill of meeting deadlines. I’ve had more than enough of that. It’s time to take on new challenges. It’s time for me to go to the next level. It’s time for me to go out into the “real world”. And it’s been a long time coming. :D

One thing I know I will grow to miss though is the great set of friends I’ve met in school. Well, one great thing about friendships is that we can continue nurturing it wherever life takes us. It’s just a matter making the effort. I won’t have to miss them – not if I can help it.

This is where I am now, and I know this is where I should be. Well, I wanted to be here sooner, haha, but well, when life throws you a curveball, you just have to be patient. I've lived a full student life. I've extracted every experience and lesson I can get from it. It's time for new experiences and for new lessons to be learned. And damn, I can't wait to start wearing black slacks instead of blue jeans! :D