The world changes when you exit the educational system and enter adult life. Well, perhaps the world doesn’t change, but your world certainly will. Gone is the safe learning environment where you are encouraged to ask questions and are able to make friends easily. You are now in the dog-eat-dog world of adulthood. Work and money begin to take a much bigger role in your life and the time for socializing becomes something which much be specifically planned and deliberately created. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, in fact there are many advantages to the adult social world, but it certainly will be different than what you have become accustomed to in the world of academia. There are a few things which can help you be more successful in this new reality.
Understanding and accepting that things have changed is the first step. Learning from those around you and those that have been through this transition will make it much simpler and more enjoyable than attempting to use what you have learned in the past. The social lessons that you learned are by and large incompatible with adult life. It seems odd doesn’t it? That they would spend all this time teaching you certain things which will no longer be explicitly applicable for the majority of your life. Well it’s more subtle than that. The principles that you learned are definitely worth remembering. How to hold engaging discussions, how to communicate with those in positions of authority, how to investigate things that pique your interest; these things will all be very valuable as you move forward in life. What will not work anymore are the specific tactics you used to socialize in high school or college.
Social life often takes a back seat in the adult world. Many people who work from 9 in the morning until 5 at night spend their weekdays concentrated on work and other necessities and will then spend the weekend socializing if there is time. The amount of time which is allotted to socializing declines even further once children enter the picture. This of course is different for everyone, however many people are less capable of taking the time to go out and meet new people or create a new social circle.
If you are able to remain in close contact with many of your friends from school, you are in a great position to have a full social life as you begin work. With less free time to spend, you will be able to fill every available minute with a fun activity with someone that you already know and enjoy. If this is not the case however, things can be a bit more difficult. Creating a new set of friends and acquaintances can take time and effort, but with a little persistence it is possible to create a fulfilling social life to complement the rest of your activities.