What did you do right after graduation?

[Ray Kinsella]

Did you already have a job lined up? Take time off? Work odd jobs until you landed a full time? Go straight into grad school?

While I graduated in May with my Air Force commission, my assignment at Offutt didn't begin until September. I moved in with my parents and worked a night shift at a gas station.

 

[thewop]

Collected on my graduation BJ from OPs mom

 

[LuciousBDragon]

Collected on my graduation BJ from OPs mom

You only got one?

 

[HawkeyeHitman]

I worked.

 

[Easthawk1062]

Had some old man in Sioux Falls look at my butthole before being sent off to Texas.

 

[hawkbirch]

Worked at a bank in Iowa City and drank every night until I accidentally got a real job in July. I applied to get my mom off my case about getting a job and they hired me. Assholes!

After law school, I studied for the bar full time. Then I waited tables at the Drake Diner until I got my first law job. I made more at the Diner. How sad!

 

[FAUlty Gator]

August 11, 1997, I hopped in my 1985 Ford Tempo and hit I95 for 20 hours to Florida, for my football coaching job, that I was just gonna do while I looked for my real job. And when I find that real job, I'm gonna be on my way!

 

[cheeselog8]

Moved from Iowa City to Port St Lucie, FL. A friend and I started a "business" doing odd jobs for the rich old people in the PGA Village.

We always had just enough money for a case of beer and a bag o weed. It was a great two years.

 

[ATLNole1]

Went directly to law school. Kind of wished I worked a few years between college and law school to get some real world experience, had some interesting non-law job offers but did not take them.

 

[EasyHawk]

Started my first real job the Monday after graduation, later kind of regretted not taking at least a week off, but needed money (never did do a spring trip or anything like that in college either, always worked over breaks). Ended up being a great place and stayed 21 years, including one move out of state and a move back. Would prefer to still be there, but they were bought and closed and we decided not to move to Michigan after the sale.

 

[SeaPA]

My last two years of college were different than most. I went to school in the summer and fall, and in the spring I worked (tax time). Graduated from FSU in the fall & immediately jumped into the next tax season.

If I could turn back the clock, I'd have taken a year & done fun work and enjoyed being young and carefree (and responsibility-free) for the last time. Maybe spent the winter in a ski town working at whatever job I could find, skiing when I wasn't working...then spend the spring/summer on an island working at a dive shop or something similar, diving while not on the job.

 

[Hawki97]

Did you already have a job lined up? Take time off? Work odd jobs until you landed a full time? Go straight into grad school?

While I graduated in May with my Air Force commission, my assignment at Offutt didn't begin until September. I moved in with my parents and worked a night shift at a gas station.

Straight to work. I was a dumbass.

 

[Moral]

I was working for the company I work for now before I graduated.

Straight to work. I was a dumbass.

This thread sort of depressed me because I am guilty of that same dumbassery.

 

[millah_22]

Worked odd jobs until I got full time. But hated my full time job, so kept one of my part time jobs on the side. Worked 55 hours per week for about 5 years until I moved to OR.

 

[OrlandNole]

I went straight to grad school where I met met my wife, proceeded to impregnate her and then started a family. Needless to say, I had to get a real job ASAP. Almost 27 years later, kids are grown and out of the house and we're finally able to do things that we should have done right after college, albeit at a much slower pace.

 

[Hawki97]

I was working for the company I work for now before I graduated.



This thread sort of depressed me because I am guilty of that same dumbassery.

It's funny because I think a lot of IT people jumped head first into their jobs back in the day because they loved what they did. Then users phucked it all up by being the soul crushing pieces of shit they are.

That said, you're only young once. So many things I'd do differently if I had the perspective I have now.

 

[Moral]

It's funny because I think a lot of IT people jumped head first into their jobs back in the day because they loved what they did. Then users phucked it all up by being the soul crushing pieces of shit they are.

Too real.

 

[ThorneStockton]

Graduated in the Spring but job didn't start till the Fall. I took my professional exams and continued my student job at CCOM.

Then I travelled for a couple months of the summer.

- Road trip to HHI with some friends, stopping on Nashville on the way
- Then took a train from Savannah to see a friend in Baltimore
- Flew to Israel for about four weeks to stay with my Israeli princess (no pic)
- Long weekend break from Israel in Berlin

Back home

- Went to Boston to stay with lady (no pic) that I had met in Israel (went to Red Sox vs Yankees when Dempster hit ARod in the back in 2013)
- Flew to Dublin
- Flew to Amsterdam
- Train to Prague
- Train to Budapest
- Train to Krakow
- Fly to Dublin and back home

Shortly after the job starts and who cares about that

 

[Aardvark86]

worked in a grocery store for a summer, then off to law school in the fall

 

[hexumhawk]

Kicked around my hometown for a year working. Moved to IC area 23 years ago and haven't looked back.

 

[ButtersHawk]

I moved to a suburb of Chicago and found work for this local construction company. Was pretty weird I didn't spend a ton of time on work sites but dug a lot of trenches in the owner's crawl space at his house. He was always very clear that I not deviate from a certain path that he dictated. Kind of an odd guy, wonder what happened to him.

 

[jawatkins]

Moved to Missouri the next day to start work.

 

[Sharky1203]

Went to ISU for a year and met good booze and slutty women and ended up in the Marine Corps where I met more good booze and sluttier women.

 

[jasonrann]

I went to New Orleans to enjoy a quiet weekend when a fortuitous turn of events with some college coeds and recreational libations made it quite memorable. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[General Tso]

Collected on my graduation BJ from OPs mom

I believe a simple "OP's Mom" would have sufficed, given the word 'do' in the OP.

 

[Tenacious E]

Did you already have a job lined up? Take time off? Work odd jobs until you landed a full time? Go straight into grad school?

While I graduated in May with my Air Force commission, my assignment at Offutt didn't begin until September. I moved in with my parents and worked a night shift at a gas station.

Graduated in May, was commissioned into the USAF in May, moved in with my wife's family until we were married in July, and headed to my assignment in Boston after our honeymoon. Crazy shit at the age 22, in retrospect. My son is 19 and that kind of thing does not seem possible.

 

[Mayland]

Graduated in December. Started right after the first of the year. Worked in ag retail for about 18 months, then went to grad school. Stayed in the ag industry since then.

 

[DropitlikeitsHawk]

Cocaine.

 

[jawatkins]

Graduated in December. Started right after the first of the year. Worked in ag retail for about 18 months, then went to grad school. Stayed in the ag industry since then.

Nice.

 

[jawatkins]

Graduated in May, was commissioned into the USAF in May, moved in with my wife's family until we were married in July, and headed to my assignment in Boston after our honeymoon. Crazy shit at the age 22, in retrospect. My son is 19 and that kind of thing does not seem possible.

Nice, did you fly?

 

[millah_22]

Too real.

What IT people think they’ll do: build computers and make servers look pretty

What they really do: constantly remind boomers not to open phishing emails

 

[Tenacious E]

Nice, did you fly?

No, but several of my classmates in my detachment became pilots. I was a weapons systems cost analyst. There were only a handful of us in the entire USAF (less than 70 at 5 bases in the Materiel Command), and the rest were government civilians and contractors. It was a very good fit for me, as was Boston.

 

[jawatkins]

What IT people think they’ll do: build computers and make servers look pretty

What they really do: constantly remind boomers not to open phishing emails

Bubby, get in the defense contractor side of things. We couldnt stop reminding people how to not get our shit stolen and they keep on keeping on. I’m out of that part and full on government now but good lord, if Nancy in accounting puts one more flash drive she found in the parking lot into her computer I’m going to take her out myself.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Found a place in Iowa City that served $1 margaritas on either Tuesdays or Thursdays and rode bike there every week of summer for that night. Ripped heaters outside the Vine. Disc golf. Sold plasma for beer and weed money. Made the most of the last two months on the lease. Then got on as a temp in December because it seemed no one was hiring recent college graduates as FTE at the time unless they had completed some professional program.

 

[JWolf74]

I was working 2 jobs throughout college. I simply moved to a full time research assistant role in the lab I was already working in and continued other part time jobs, worked 50-60 hours most weeks. Did that for a year. Moved to another lab for another year and then went to med school. Wish I would have had the money to travel. But always had beer money.

 

[jawatkins]

No, but several of my classmates in my detachment became pilots. I was a weapons systems cost analyst. There were only a handful of us in the entire USAF (less than 70 at 5 bases in the Materiel Command), and the rest were government civilians and contractors. It was a very good fit for me, as was Boston.

Nice, I contracted for Boeing for awhile before the government got* me. Never had time in Boston. I want to go there just to look at historical stuff sometime though.

 

[alaskanseminole]

Drove to Daytona Beach with my pals, got drunk and passed out in a room at the Quality Inn.

 

[Tenacious E]

Nice, I contracted for Boeing for awhile before the government got* me. Never had time in Boston. I want to go there just to look at historical stuff sometime though.

If you ever visit I have posted my advice on what to do and when several times. I have also included bonus advice for southern Maine and Rhode Island. Essentially:

• Go in the summer;
• fly into Boston and rent a car;
• stay in Lexington/Concord/Bedford;
• drive and park at Alewife station on the redline and take the train into town for as many daily trips needed for a ducktour, harbor cruise, Faneuil Hall, boston common, uss constitution, bunker hill, the North End, Blue Man Group, etc;
• another day see historical attractions in the Lexington/Concord/Bedford area (North Bridge, Walden Pond, Minuteman Trail)
• another day, day trip to Portland and see the lighthouse at Two Lights, and have lobster by the ocean at the Lobster Shack or something similar
• another day whale watch out of gloucester (guaranteed to see whales and much better than taking a tour out of Boston and Boston Harbor itself)
• another day check out the breakers at new port, RI.

 

[Colonoscopy]

Screwed around for a few years. Roaming the plains, chasing tornadoes, and drinking.

 

[BubsFinn]

I moved to Austin and got two jobs. I worked two jobs until I paid off my loans. It took me a little over two years. It helped that I could live with my brother for a few months. I worked as much as they would let me and I scraped up enough for a cramped 615 square foot apartment.
Two full time restaurant kitchen jobs isn’t for everyone. My day job was doing prep and lunch, so 7:30 to 2:30 Monday through Friday, and my night job the hours and days changed week to week, but I probably averaged 45-50 hours a week there.
Never had a day off. Once the loans were gone, I cut back to just the night job and ended up working more hours, so more overtime and more money.