What Life Actually Feels Like 2 Years After College

Where did the last two years of my life go? I cannot believe that it has been two years since I graduated from Mizzou. It's surreal to think about college life versus post grad life. I feel like I've been adulting for years now, but that's not the case. College was amazing, but I'm in love with post-grad life. My journey has been bumpy, beautiful and a little scary.

I left college with tubs full of clothes, a mini fridge, shoes, a sewing machine, craft supplies, a TV and a DVD player. I came back home to live with my grandfather without any furniture or savings. God has given me resources to buy furniture, lease a 2013 Honda Civic, work at my dream job and expand my personal brand.

Everything that I have and I am is because of His goodness. I never imagined life past college graduation professionally. My only goal for college was to not get pregnant before graduation, crazy right? After graduation, I planned to get married and become a stay-at-home mother. I'm sure God had a huge chuckle at that.

I am saying all of this to say your path is not my path. We all have a purpose tied to our lives. Try not to get caught up on being left behind or feel like you're not where you're supposed to be. It's a trap and it's a lie. You are exactly where God intended for you to be at this moment. Keep scrolling to learn what life actually feels like 2 years after college.

Employment

Let's take a few steps back. I graduated from college with an underpaid social media internship. I was overqualified for my position and was okay with it. I was done with school way before graduation ever took place. I graduated with an entrepreneur mindset. I wanted to be my own boss so I only applied for one internship and was lucky enough to get it.

Now let's fast forward a year, I started working at one of the best and biggest advertising agencies in Kansas City. I worked on the Dairy Queen account their for 1 year before I moved to my current agency. I'm blessed to be working on a fashion brand with more creative freedom and responsibility. I never imagined working as a social media manager while I was in school, but advertising fell into my lap and we've been attached at the hip ever since.

My new agency is global, which means more room for growth. If I could change anything about my career choices, I wouldn't. Each job prepared me for what was next. My advice to you is to bloom where you are planted.

1 Year Ago

Take Your Child to Work Day at Barkley with my mom.

I launched my t-shirt collection

You can shop with me now!

Debt

Sallie Mae never stops. Ugh. I recently paid off my 1 private loan from Mizzou. I'm currently tackling $37,000 worth of federal student loan debt. I started out with $36k, deferred for a year, paid off 1 loan for $1,500 and still owe more than I started with so yeah... Sallie Mae is a beast. I am applying for student loan debt consolidation this week. The only other debt I have is a single credit card for $3,600 and my car loan. Once I get into a groove, I'll share more details on eliminating student loan debt.

Lifestyle

A typical week in my world looks like working 40 to 45 hours at work, then attending church twice per week, daily meetings after work with the Jasmine Diane Team, my ministry team and potential clients and time with the ones I love the most. Dating definitely has taught me to live in the moment and to work harder for my dreams. I spend a lot of time sitting on social media and strategizing for Jasmine Diane. Recently, I've started to enjoy my weekends away from social media and blogging. Family time is super important to me. Also building my friendships and enjoying "

ladies nights" is priority for me as my friends finish grad school and get engaged. Now is the time to live without regrets and take advantage of every chance to have fun without breaking the bank.

Family Time

Sending my baby sis off to college

Year Three Goals

Pay off $4,000 in student loan debt
Pay off credit card
Travel outside of US

Conclusion

I'm blessed to enjoy 90% of what I do with my time. In the next year I plan to expand my brand and to continue growing professionally. I love my job, it's perfect for me: fashion and social media. My biggest piece of advice to you is to keep your end-goal in mind and to be open to things being better than you ever imagined. My post grad journey is nothing like I imaged, but it's everything that God always had in mind.

Questions

How long has it been since you graduated from college? Or are you currently in school?
What has been the hardest part of your post grad journey?

There you have it, my life 2 years after graduating from college in a nutshell. I'm so proud of all that God has graced me to accomplish. I'm really excited about planning out the rest of 2017 and crushing a lot of my goals, both big and small. Don't forget to follow me on instagram @thejasminediane!

What Life Actually Feels Like 2 Years After College