Welcome to the "Adult" World?

So I was sitting in my apartment yesterday and I realized that I only have about two more weeks until the start of school. Aside from the hour or two that I spent on Amazon trying to find all of my books and coming to terms with the financial hit I am going to take in purchasing all the said tomes of knowledge--I am really excited for school to start back up. The only thing that I am even slightly nervous about is that it is my last semester. Honestly, it didn't even strike me until after I was done finding my books and started looking for openings in my field that I am basically four short months away from, what is supposed to be, the rest of my life.

This apparently is when I start preparing myself for the "adult" world. I don't know why, but that is what everyone calls this stage of graduating college and moving on in the world. Forget that I have been functioning like an adult for the last two, almost three, years-- living in an apartment, paying bills, working a mostly full time job, and trying to average out how long it will take me to pay back my student loans. Yet, society deems that leaving the world of academia is synonymous with reacquainting oneself with reality and its responsibilities. That is not to say that I can't understand the other side of the coin, because being in school is a different lifestyle than having a steady 9 to 5, but I don't feel right saying that after college I'm going to upgrade into an adult and that all of the work and skills I have acquired up to that point are merely juvenile displays of my potential.

Yes, I am still a little nervous about the end of my college career,  but I am also excited. Not for this proclaimed adulthood, but because I am going to have the opportunity to have a career to show what kind of mature human being I already am. Granted college is definitely a time to mature and learn, but at least give yourself some credit. It annoys me every time that there are people who post out on Facebook or Twitter that they got their first "adult" job or are ready for the "adult" world because they graduated college-- you are just showing how childish and unprepared you really are. We are already adults and all we are doing is moving into bigger pond with more adults who have more or less experience than we do.

So to all my fellow graduates of 2012, do not be intimidated by the "adult" world because you are ready for it. Having a career isn't any scarier than pulling an all nighter to cram all the information into your head before the test, or worrying about the two research papers, one project, and interpretive dance that you have to turn in on the same day. If we can do all of that and still have Thirsty Thursdays or play a sport or just manage to remain sane, then we will be just fine.