A query that had long been posted in one group chat had asked: what’s wrong with recent graduates who’ve joined the work force?
For boomers down to Gen Zs, the transition from fourteen (plus years) of schooling, up until one is cast into the real world where one is expected to get a job, will always be full of both wonderment and confusion. And for some, it’s mostly confusion. Truth is, while there’s a sense of excitement at finally facing the “real” world right after studies, there’s also that feeling of dread. For the wary, one question comes to mind: what-the-heck-happened? The years flew by so fast, by the time you caught your breath, you’re in the now.
Understandably, the years of going to school and what follow next are two different animals altogether. If during one’s learning years, one were not really serious enough at studying, galivanting with bffs or just running through the motions of days in school just enough to graduate, chances are when graduation and seeking employment comes, there’s sure to be some problems. As an example for the latter, we might know of some who have been so distracted with extra-curricular activities, finishing school has become second priority. So, upon graduation, it is when that sensation of ‘What the heck happened’ becomes as real as it gets.
For starters, agree with it or not, our elementary and high school system in the country is still generally centered on a spoon-feeding (or rather force-feeding) type of learning. Besides that, it is likewise marked with a lot of disciplinary what and what not to dos. On the other hand, the moment one steps into college, a somewhat more liberal setting where one is left to fend on their own, is much like letting a cat out of the cage.
Perhaps after years of being under a somewhat reformative elementary and secondary atmosphere where one is constantly told what to do or how to think, this contrasted college life, where one is let loose, only proves to be disorienting. The temptation of having too many choices and distractions all of a sudden, becomes a real obstacle especially for those suddenly thrown into such a setting and especially those not really serious about learning. And if or when one were to finish college, these who have lost direction are often the ones who bear the full force of a new reality. The reality that the real world out there throws only hard balls at those who’ve come unprepared.
All abstract I know, but for those who fit in this mold, this might be an accurate assessment. However, it’s just opinion. As one father loves to say, no soft gloves out there in the real world. Throw in more other variables in the pan and voila, it’s WYSIWYG. Aside from being an old app, what you see is what you get.
