Five Stages of Grief: From College to The First Job

Courtesy: deadspin.com

Remember when you got your first job. How, happy you were, not able to control the joy that this piece of paper called the offer letter had given you. The fruit of all that work that you had been doing was right there in your hand. You felt that this is it, your opportunity to change the world as you see it is here. You are on the road to making a huge name for yourself almost instantly. You had finally found your place in the sun.


And almost two years into the job you feel, things would had been better if you forgot that offer letter on the sun itself. You start feeling that everything you had ever learned was a waste of everyones time because almost everything does not work in the practical world.


Denial: "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."
The day I cleared my final semester and got the call letter, over joyed as I was, this was the first thought that came to my mind. 


Anger: "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to blame?"
My first day in the office. Sitting for eight hours straight. No friends, no one to talk to. You have to come daily and sit from 9 to 6? Are you kidding me?


Bargaining: "Just let me live to see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a few more years."; "I will give my life savings if..."
Me to my boss (in my head of course) the first time I got scolded. It felt there you go finally you find a way to earn money and that also gets screwed.


Depression: "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to remain this way... What's the point?"; "I miss my loved one, why go on?"
6 months and loads of scoldings later. Everything falls into a routine. No more can you hang out through the night with your friends. No more can you just sleep through the day without doing anything. All your friends are busy and so are you. You miss your college every day and will most probably do so through out your life.


Acceptance: "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."
One year into the job. You have a routine. You get up in the morning, go to your office, come back and just relax. Life as you know has changed. You have more friends now, more people to hang out with, you are better at politics. In all life is good all around...