Wake me up before you go-go! The iconic Wham song was the only thing clouding our minds while we were writing this article. This song feels nostalgic, and seems perfect in the situations when we feel how fast time passes. About time, which is our main crisis today, when did we grow up and became actual adults? In a blink of an eye, we graduated high school and college. Wait a second… What is this corporate life I’m drenched in? And why am I being invited to all these weddings? Gen-Z babies are now a bit lost in their lives and not adjusting very well to the new reality. But don’t worry! You’re not alone, we too, including the editor delivering this text, are kiddos who’re still figuring things out.
COLLEGE LIFE WAS SHORTER THAN EXPECTED
When we first got into college, the journey seemed a long, long way down. Yet, the passage of time remained elusive, slipping through our fingers like sand, unnoticed until the final day of exams in our senior year. Now we lay down before we sleep, scrolling through our galleries, wondering as we see our college pictures: How could it be possible that a whole year passed since we walked across the stage, bachelor’s in hand, heralding our graduation?
POST GRADUATION DEPRESSION
Remember that scene in Disney’s Finding Nemo when the Tank Gang fish escaped only to find themselves trapped again in plastic bags saying Now what? That’s life after graduation. For four good years, our daily existence had been shaped by college, from assignments to group projects and presentations. Now that these days are over, a wave of hollowness and aimlessness is washing over us. We’re not over college days yet, we never had enough of them actually. All this hopelessness, dullness, and lack of capability to get up from your bed are signs of post-grad depression. We were never ready for it.
WAIT.. ARE YOU TELLING ME THERE WILL BE NO MORE LONG SUMMER VACATIONS?
The phase following college graduation usually hits you with a lot of adjustments you never saw coming. All out of a sudden, you’re held accountable to find a job, make big-life decisions, and be in charge of your whole life. However, all what we mentioned can’t beat the shock you get on figuring out that the time of spending all summer by the beach is gone and will never–not anytime close– come back.
MARRIAGES IN YOUR AGE GROUP..
This one hits hard.. and bad.. This part of the article is for all those who didn’t tie the knot five minutes after their graduation discussion, if you did, please skip the following few lines. Our editor can relate to this part a lot, for they haven’t yet processed the fact that most of their Gen-Z colleagues are either engaged or married. Some even had their first baby already, when did that happen? Adjusting to new realities may be a little bit daunting. However, you must acknowledge that individuals aged 21 are considered legal adults with rights to get married.
WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO.. I DON’T WANNA MISS IT WHEN YOU HIT THAT HIGH..
Remember, the longer you stay in the past, the longer you’ll miss the beauty of now. We don’t want you to miss new things, new adventures, and first-times of many things. We don’t want to miss it when you hit that high. We know how hard it is to let go of certain memories– the editor themself didn’t– but it’s okay, it’ll pass, as many things do. Remember when it felt like the end of the world when you had lost a friend, but then what happened? Life moves on, it always does. Same applies to saying goodbye to the college-version of you. You’ll keep screaming “Come back!,” or blaming “Wake me up before you go!” for a while, but you’ll stop eventually. Try to explore unlocked adventures of your age, because we know you’re having even more freedom now..
Consider this an advice from the editor, who’s been living in the past for a while. If you’re still incapable of adjusting to life as an adult, go to the nearest bookshop and get “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” book and thank us later. P.S: keep a box of tissues nearby.. On reading the last lines of this book, you’ll already be willing to enjoy the present with everything it brings. And here’s one of the editor’s favorite lines of the book:
“At the end of the day, whether one returns to the past or travels to the future, the present doesn’t change.”
-Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Also, here’s to the song that inspired this article…
