As a finalist, there’s only one thing on your mind: “Let me just finish this degree.” You dream of walking out of campus with that certificate, finally free from assignments, tests, and departmental stress. But nobody tells you that the real graduation gift is reality—and it comes unwrapped, fast, and sometimes rough.
Here are five things fresh graduates are usually never prepared for:
1. The premium lack of money
If you ever thought you were broke in school, just wait till after graduation. In school, even when you were “broke,” there was still pocket money from parents, emergency cash from friends, free food from roommates, or some random departmental giveaway. But once you graduate? You’re officially on your own.
Those “little” allowances dry up real quick. Family and friends assume you’re now “an adult” who should have things figured out. There’s no more excuse of “I need money for a textbook,” because well—no more textbooks. Now you’re left battling rent, feeding, transportation, job-hunting expenses—and let’s not forget data subscription because you’re scrolling LinkedIn and job boards every day. Unless you had a solid side hustle in school, be prepared for a season of serious financial drought.
2. The boredom and loneliness no one warned you about
At first, it feels like bliss. You’re no longer waking up for 8 a.m. classes or submitting rushed assignments. You finally have your time back. But after a few weeks, that excitement turns to silence. Your group chats become less active. Everyone is scattered, hustling to figure out their own lives.
Suddenly, you’re at home—doing nothing, feeling stuck, missing the random campus gist, spontaneous hangouts, and even the annoying stress of school life. You start scrolling through old photos, missing your people. And unlike school, where fun was one roommate away, now you have to schedule fun—if you even have the money or energy. That’s when it hits: life after school can feel incredibly isolating.
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3. The endless work cycle
You may have had a side hustle in school, but let’s be real—it didn’t prepare you for the 9-5 grind. The idea of working every day with just two days off (if you’re lucky) is a different kind of reality. Especially if you get a “proper” job, you’ll realize that the energy and flexibility you once had might not fit into this new lifestyle.
Forget sleeping in. Forget chilling randomly in the middle of the day. Now you wake up early, sit in traffic, work under pressure, and do it all over again the next day. There’s barely time to figure yourself out. It starts to feel like your youth is being exchanged for monthly alerts—alerts that don’t even stretch far enough to cover real life costs. You start asking yourself, “Is this really what I signed up for?”
4. The actual cost of being an adult
One of the rudest shocks is discovering how expensive life is. In school, you were mainly worried about food, transport, and maybe buying handouts. But outside school? Everything costs money. Rent. Electricity. Water. Gas. Furniture. Subscriptions. Clothes. And don’t forget emergencies.
Want to rent an apartment? You’ll be told to bring one year’s rent, caution fee, agency fee, legal fee—fees you didn’t even know existed. You’ll realize that a standard fridge can cost almost half your salary, that is if you’re earning a reasonable amount of money. And that car you always imagined driving after graduation? Let’s not even go there unless you’re born into wealth or a tech bro. Even NYSC might take you far from home, and the ₦77k monthly allowance can barely cover anything. Suddenly, “serving your fatherland” starts to feel like a scam, and you start wondering if you shouldn’t go and serve your real father instead.
5. The identity crisis and mental pressure
This one creeps in slowly. When you were in school, you had a clear title: student. Now that you’ve graduated, that identity disappears overnight. You’re no longer a student, but you don’t feel like a full adult either. It’s an awkward in-between stage.
People start asking: “What are you doing now?” And if you don’t have a job or something impressive to say, it gets frustrating. You start comparing yourself to others. Doubt creeps in. You question your course, your dreams, your skills—even your worth. This is the part nobody talks about—the mental toll of navigating adulthood without a clear roadmap.
Graduation is not just the end of school—it’s the beginning of real life, and real life is not always rosy. But here’s the thing: you’re not alone. Everyone feels a little lost after school. What matters is how you adjust, learn, and grow from it. Build your network, develop your skills, keep showing up, and give yourself grace. It gets better. Just don’t fall for the illusion that life after school is automatically figured out. It’s not. And that’s okay.
Joanna Christopher is a French language enthusiast, journalist, and communication strategist.
