Graduating College During a Pandemic & Other Endeavors

Hello. Howdy. How are ya? How are you really doing during this pandemia?

Well, I am in the midst of a weird time since graduating college in June. The last two weeks or so were all online and I watched my virtual graduation sitting in a foldable chair by the shores of Whittier, AK. Not exactly what I was expecting, and it wasn’t until I was watching my graduation that it hit me how sad I was, to be missing out on closing a significant chapter of my life in person.

Since graduation, my life has felt like it's been full steam ahead. With various adult things (student debt, rent, career) on my mind, I have been in the mindset of work, work, work. Needless to say there has not been much time to sit down and reflect on being spit out into life post college.

That brings us to here, almost six months later, at the height of December writing down how I feel about life not only out of college, but life during a pandemic (is it just me or does it seem like my 20’s are passing me by?). It has been full of growth, discernment, and new joys in the most mundane things (and let's be real, a few breakdowns here and there).

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The growth.

One of the biggest takeaway from the last few weeks of my college experience and leading out of it, is how I manage my expectations. Not in all my life if someone told me why I wouldn’t be graduating with my loved ones cheering me by, my class-mates sitting in my row, and my professors shaking my hand I would have barely believed them. I was fully expecting the closure of this formative chapter in my life. Missing out on experiencing graduation honestly came with a grieving period that I did not expect. I cried on that beach watching my graduation realizing that time was not going to stand still and wait for me. In that moment and since, I am learning how to be flexible and press forward, which is never an easy endeavor. It is taken with small strides each and everyday as we learn that nothing in this life is guaranteed.

The discernment.

One thing I have been undeniably thankful for is having a job during the pandemic and that as a women I can support myself financially. This has always been a huge goal of mine (shoutout to my mom for instilling this in me). However, because of my family’s money situation, I had to pay most of my tuition out of pocket or with scholarships. Uneasily I had to take out significant loans to pay for my education. While I am thankful for being educated, paying off these loans has been on my mind since I started college. One of the best pieces of advice I have been given about loans and money is to simply educate yourself on all the fiscal processes. While at times this is overwhelming, I have found a few methods to be helpful. The first is YouTube videos by women in their 20s/30s who are also figuring it out as they go. I highly recommend Elena Taber or Aja Dang’s videos. The second is to start researching how to invest your money. I opened a retirement account through my work and it only took me an hour of research and twenty minutes to set it up*. That is money that is compounding and won’t be taxed when you take it out down the road. From what I have learned, investing when you are younger is the best option since you are usually taxed in a lower income bracket and can put more money straight to your account. Finally, I am getting serious about saving my money, budgeting, and breaking down my loans. I have goals baby to have my loans paid off in six years, so I use the 50/30/20 rule for budgeting, I have a savings account that I actively contribute to weekly, and I logged into my loan servicer and looked at what I have to pay each month. It seems overwhelming, but I put a timer on for thirty minutes every week, grab a glass of wine, put on good tunes, and I start learning.

This little blurb is titled discernment, because when I pray about finances, I also (try) and give my stress about money up to God. Personally, working on my finances is something that God has put on my heart and I am learning that how I decide to spend/save my money can contribute to God's kingdom. Handling money on my own is stressful, but bringing it to Christ brings inexplainable peace.

New joys (even in the mundane things)

Have you ever watched Vogue’s 73 questions on YouTube? It is sometimes cringy and awkward, but other times so sweet and genuine that you want to sit down and have coffee with famous people that you would never imagine were so down to earth.

You know that first sip of coffee in the morning. Heaven.

Seeing the sun and feeling it’s warmth on your cheeks.

Friendly conversations with the local barista in the middle of a groggy work day.

Going for a walk down the block and seeing flowers even in winter.

A good meal and good friends.

Crying after holding something in for a long time.

Sunrises from the kitchen window and sunsets by lakes.

Strangers talking about Jesus becoming sisters.

Warm hugs with the people you can hug.

The list can go on and on… but most days I wake up, work from home, run, cook dinner, talk with my roommate or boyfriend and then go to bed. Life can seem like I am running in circles until an encounter with something so quietly good awakens me to remember that there are joys each day. I only need to slow down and see them.

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If you have been reading my blogs, first of all thank you! This is a place I can process and also be creative, so it means so much to me that people would read what has been on my mind. Second of all, I hope that these blogs encourage you and in some way make you feel less alone. The more I talk to people, the more I realize that there are many ways we relate to each other. In some way, I hope you connect with someone, whether with me or the people in your life.

If you so please, let me know how you have been processing the pandemic and general life changes in the comments.

Cheers,

Tabi

*Loosely took me this amount of time. I had also been researching all that month. Please take as much time as you need to make a decision on opening a retirement account. :)