Are you happy with your post-college life?

Are you where you wanted to be, doing what you wanted to do, living with "the one", driving what you always wanted to drive....etc.


[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 3:31 AM. Reason : p]

7/13/2008 3:24:43 AM

yes to all

still looking for someone worth my time though. doing my thing & knowing it'll happen

i have a company car that has everything paid for, so as far as driving what i always wanted, a free car is pretty damn awesome

7/13/2008 11:27:45 AM

I am happy but not content.

Awesome job, not making as much as I want to but it will lead to good things.
Have owned a condo for two years (purchased when I was 23).
Car's paid off.
Great friends.
Great family.
Enough money to do what I want and live comfortably.
Recently started dating a great girl.

7/13/2008 11:47:51 AM

^Sounds like a good spot, why aren't you content.

7/13/2008 12:35:01 PM

yes to all - turned 26 today so i wouldn't say "closing on 30" just yet - first half of my 20s were great and the way it's going the second half will be better

love my job - but hopefully about to make a change though - doing the same thing more or less but at a smaller company
bought a townhouse last year
05 maxima - paid off - fun to drive but big enough to put all my shit in it (wife's 04 mazda 3 is paid off as well)
great friends in a few cities
married last year - great wife
great family (even great in-laws)
enough money to do what i want and live comfortably
done more traveling than hoped - work has lead me to work in some really cool cities

7/13/2008 12:54:26 PM

^ happy birthday!

7/13/2008 1:00:30 PM

Quote :

"^Sounds like a good spot, why aren't you content."

I view content as not wanting of anything. I have a lot of things that I still want, a nicer car, to travel more, to go to grad school, etc. I don't know if I'll ever be content, but happy is a good start.

7/13/2008 5:06:18 PM

Turning 29 in 10 days.

Not disappointed in my life, but I am not overly thrilled either. There have been a lot of things I wish I could have done differently in my life but on the other hand if I had not experienced those things I wouldn't be who I am today.

7/13/2008 5:30:46 PM

this could very easily turn into a blog/emo post, but i'll try to keep it concise.

i'll be 31 in a couple months, and i have to say from an objective point of view, my life could be a lot worse. i live in a decent apartment near buckhead in atlanta, my car is paid off, and i work for a stable company making enough money to not really have to worry about it.

that being said, i'm still not quite where i wanted to be at this point in my life.
-marriage/kids are no where to be seen in the near future.
-i've never owned a house. i finally feel financially stable enough to buy a place, but i'm not not fully committed to staying in atlanta long enough for it to pay off.
-maintaining a social life is getting harder and harder. i've never been terribly good at it to start with, and until recently my work/life ratio was very high. a lot of the people i made friends with down here are moving away.

7/13/2008 6:50:26 PM

hitting the big 30 in Dec
try not to dwell to much on the past, but wish I had done just about everything differently, good times we had though

7/13/2008 7:33:40 PM

I never had a post-college vision, per se, but I can't complain ...

Left NC for grad school and thought I'd miss it terribly, but now I'm living halfway across the country from the east coast and loving it. Still writing, still drawing, got a job in my field for the fall, will be making good money. Currently living with "the one."


More importantly, though, I've gotten to do a ton of cool stuff before hitting the big 3-0--traveling, work experiences, forming good friendships. Entering a comfortable station in life, for me, is just the icing on the cake.

7/14/2008 2:39:45 AM

yeah I"d have to say so.

got a pretty good job that pays very well
got 2 sweet rides
decent apt, but its just me and the dog, so its cool.
still single, but hey, now that I"m in the us, looking forward to seeing what might happen.
will be starting grad school soon.


so overall, not too bad. there were definitely some rough spots along way; but like my grandpa said, "sometimes you gotta crawl thru the shit to walk among the flowers".

7/14/2008 3:48:32 AM

i'm about 2 months a way from 30.

I'm definitely doing way better than even i would have expected.

Great career, making way more than I thought would be possible at this point. Stressful at times, but that keeps it from getting mundane.
Married to a gorgeous doctor. I definitely out-kicked my coverage with her.
I have a beautiful daughter that adds so much to my life.
I get along great with my extended family and my wife's extended family.
I have a very large circle of close friends, most of them i've known since the early days of college.

I dunno, reading what I just wrote it's dripping with syrupy feel-goodness.
but I don't know if i can imagine life getting much better at this point.

7/14/2008 7:09:03 AM

^ props.

i feel exactly the same way except the married with a kid part (she's still in med school)

7/14/2008 11:19:23 AM

closing in on 30 in 3 months or so... and well...

love my job - i'm doing what every little kid dreams of and only work 10 days a month
own a house that we have been in for 4 years now
own two reliable vehicles, one that's almost paid off
own a boat for weekend outings at the lake
have traveled and done things that we want
been married for 5 years to a fellow alum who just got her masters
have the best circle of friends a guy could ask for
just finished up my 2nd degree working on #3
putting enough away for retirement and future investments
have a great family and extended family
have the ability to do things that we want to do within reason...

I could not ask for much more

7/14/2008 4:22:26 PM

I wish I got paid more for all the work that I do....being a teacher is really tough at times

7/14/2008 5:11:13 PM

I'm not exactly closing in on 30, but I am definitely no longer in my early 20s.

-Married my best friend 2 years ago.
-Had a baby 6 months ago. He has DiGeorge Syndrome, but Duke is the only place in the world that effectively treats these kids with a 75 percent survival rate. We're so fortunate to live in the area.
-Ran a very successful nanny service for 2 years. (Closed up shop to take care of my son.) I know that I can do it again.
-Bought a house in a fantastic neighborhood.
-Own 2 cars that are paid for.
-Love my in laws.
-Have some of the best friends ever. I just wished that they lived closer.

Things are wonderful. I am very happy with my life, but I know that things can and will be even better.

7/14/2008 7:37:39 PM

http://www.spike.com/video/i-aint-ever/2793744

7/15/2008 4:35:55 AM

Well lets see...

It seems that everyone in here is oh so happy.

I am 26. Closer to thirty every day.

I am in the worst shape of my life.
I am almost the heaviest I have ever been at 278 lbs.
Work takes up way too much time and attention (70-80 hrs/wk).
The level of stress is not worth the money.
However, I have been married to my best friend for 3 years.
We have a 2 month old son who is my reason for waking up each morning.
We have a nice house in a good neighborhood.
The house is recently on the market, so any spare second goes toward making it look better.
We have one modest car that is about halfway paid for.
My family is a lifesaver. The in-laws are great.

I am on the brink of greatness, but damn its a hard row to hoe.

7/15/2008 10:00:27 AM

I'm 24

I'm making the money I hope to have made now that I've graduated
I own a home with a bomb ass rate
My family is great
I have a wonderful girlfriend who, long ago, I would've thought was out of my league.
I have great friends
I love what I'm doing with my life.


Now if I could just have these student loans paid for, I'd be all set.

7/15/2008 10:10:56 AM

I'll be 30 in less than a month, and I will be the first to admit that things have been pretty rough the past 5 or 6 years. But, I have no one to blame but myself for the decisions I have made.

As for my career, I am fairly satisfied, but I have long term goals. It's just a stepping stone, and I'll be making a move into my long-term career in about a year or so.

Financially, things could be better. But all my bills get paid on time and I still have money left over, so things could be worse. My credit isn't great, but I'm working on it. The only debt I have is my car and my student loan. And when I make my next career move I will be making close to double what I am making now, so blue skies are ahead.

As for "the one", I thought I had her but i was wrong. It was a blessing in disguise though, because being single has given me the time to focus on bettering myself.

So, in short, my 30's should be WAY better than my late mid to late 20's.

7/15/2008 3:21:58 PM

On a scale of 1 to 10, i'd say i'm at a 4. where's my do'h smiley face?

7/15/2008 4:27:58 PM

Great, moving on up....never would of thought I would be where I am now career wise when I graduated....actually hated the field in college....

in about 3 months I should be getting about a 10k raise.

[Edited on July 15, 2008 at 9:23 PM. Reason : w]

7/15/2008 9:22:18 PM

i'll soon be 28 years old. 10 years ago I wouldn't have ever imagined me where I am now. I always wanted to join the nuclear Navy, but circumstances changed and I went a different route. Am I disappointed? Maybe a little, but I'm extremely happy with my life.

- finished up my doctorate and have an incredible job with great pay and more importantly the freedom to do as I want.
- live in a great city in a great home
- have a wonderful, smart, beautiful girlfriend who is at the center of my life. she supports me in everything i do, is very active in my life, and loves to travel just as much (actually more) than i do
- have lots of good friends
- have no bad debt
- car is paid for

i dont have a lot of family (parents live 2,500 miles away now), and am not very close with the few cousins i do have.

every now and then some personal issues arise, but with the right help and support from my girlfriend, family and friends, and doctors I can get through them, sometimes with relative ease.

Kids? Nope, and not any time soon. i've got lots of stuff on my agenda to do before I want to settle down and have kids.

7/15/2008 11:38:02 PM

No, no, no, and no...
3½ more years till 30 though

7/15/2008 11:55:09 PM

furthermore, the amount of world travel (for both business and pleasure) i've managed to undertake prior to hitting 30 is something i'm very pleased with.

7/16/2008 12:38:14 AM

1. neutral
2. not exactly, though kinda-sorta
3. no
4. no

i'm still generally happy, though.

7/16/2008 1:34:05 AM

I'm turning 29 in Oct.

Overall, I'm pretty damn happy with my life. I have a decent job that I'm only keeping until my own business takes over. Have been able to grow a fairly successful voice over business in just over 3 years, and it's still growing. Own a great house in a great neighborhood with my wonderful wife. Been with her 6 yrs, married for 2 as of yesterday. I can't say I'm doing what I originally wanted to do (chiropractor), but I'm in the process of living my dream as an actor/entertainer. My wife is completely supportive of my efforts and I couldn't be more appreciative. Also hoping for kids soon...

The future is extremely bright - and I can't wait to live it!

7/16/2008 6:58:48 AM

Quote :

"i have a company car that has everything paid for, so as far as driving what i always wanted, a free car is pretty damn awesome"

NCSUWolfy

Some don't think about what a great benefit this is. You can tack several thousand dollars onto your annual salary in transportation-related costs saved.

7/16/2008 8:29:10 AM

i'll be 30 in feb.

am i happy? sure.
i think "where i wanted to be" changed a lot, especially during grad school. i'm where i want to be right now, but damn if it isnt a lot of work. decent 40hr job plus a business... i would have to say that real-life is somewhat different than i had anticipated and it definitely puts a damper on grand dreams of making millions...

single. not sure if that's good or bad. although it is in the back of my mind, last thing i need right now is a commitment (real or perceived) to spend time with someone when i'm already really really busy.

i'm driving something acceptable. there's always going to be something that is not achievable, but realistically i'm satisfied. i'd really like to be driving the other car, tho.. the project that doesnt run yet.

7/16/2008 2:41:55 PM

extremely happy with post college life....half a year from 28 like joe numbers

i've already done what i wanted to do professionally in a technical sense, and it's taken me to where i am currently and was an important step career wise in where ill be heading out

not living with "the one" but will be within a year, and married at that.

driving a fixed gear bianchi (a bike for the uninitiated, im basically michael bluth), sold the grand cherokee last year which was one of the smarter things ive done...living in the DC area affords me the opportunity to not have to worry about a car. i miss having an SUV, and wouldn't mind owning one of the newer scaled down suv or crossovers like an RDX or FX45, but all i need right now is a bike, with little to no cost of maintaining.

would like to already own a home, but ill just wait till i move away and buy cheaper and better in a lower cost of living area once ive established myself professionally enough to make similar money outside of DC

a lot of where i am is due to living in an awesome place like DC, and also to my job, which allows me to travel regularly all over the country and interface directly with elected officials as a lobbyist.

also im in the best shape of my life and have finally embraced running as something to love versus a means to an end, which is how i approached it through high school sports and college in general.





lol just saw that partychris posted in this thread...

[Edited on July 16, 2008 at 3:29 PM. Reason : ..s.]

7/16/2008 3:25:42 PM

Yes.

I'm 26. I love my job and am living with the man I'm going to marry in a few months. I still want to go to grad school and lose 10lbs, or put them somewhere else. Don't want or have debt or kids.

7/16/2008 7:53:22 PM

I'm headed towards being the old one-eyed guy with faded unrecognizable tattoos selling fake nazi trinkets at the flea market. And nobody's gonna stand in my way, ya hear?

7/16/2008 9:26:49 PM

well lets see, I'm 27... so 3 years to go.


I'm going into my final year of law school.
I'm clerking for one of the top NPO firms in the country.
I'm closer to my family than I've ever been.
I have enough money to not have to rely on my parents.
My car, though beginning to fade, still runs and gets me from A to B.
I have friends I've known for years that I still speak to everyday.
I've lost a great deal of weight, and still have more to go, but I'm healthy and strong.


I'd like to settle down sometime, though, but the amount of school I've had has given me a lot of debt. I can't decide whether to take the Bar exam in Virginia or North Carolina, and I'm waiting for God to kinda put me in the situation I'm supposed to be in.

Still haven't found a woman, but I'm sure there's one down the pike around here somewhere.

So if I were to assign a number to it... when compared to 6 years ago I was a miserable college dropout filled with woe over white trash girls and had no plan nor goal for my life....

i'd say i'm about a 6.5, which is a huge turn from a time when I would have said "1."

I'm proud of what I've done though. I've come a long way.

[Edited on July 17, 2008 at 8:11 AM. Reason : .]

7/17/2008 8:10:36 AM

I turn 30 in November.

I'm relatively satisfied with where I am in life, but not so much in my career. I'm tired of it and really need to find something more fulfilling. I really can't complain about the career too much because it has afforded me a lot. I'm just personally wanting to do something I enjoy more.

I make plenty of money, own a few cars, have 20%+ equity in a nice house, and have just about everything I want except a boat which I can afford whenever I decide to let go of about $50k. I have pretty good health, good friends, a nice girlfriend, and I spend a lot of time having fun for someone my age. I'll figure out what I really want to do eventually I guess.

[Edited on July 17, 2008 at 9:27 AM. Reason : s]

7/17/2008 9:24:45 AM

I turn 27 this year and the answer to all questions is NOT HAPPY AT ALL

7/17/2008 9:44:20 AM

Im 30 in 7 months (Feb 2009). I'd say im extremely happy with my current aspects of life, just wish i had made some different choices 5-10 years ago.

I was a dumbass that got in a lot of debt and fucked a lot of things up a decade ago, and am still trying to recover from some of them.

Measuring by just the present though, Im pretty happy. I have a fantastic wife, we will celebrate our 5 year anniversary in 6 months, she is currently pregnant with twins (a boy and a girl), and I have a great job working with some of my best friends. I live in a beautiful city, get to spend time fishing, swimming in the pool, and relaxing.

If it werent for trying to still fix some prior fuckups, I couldnt imagine a better life.

7/18/2008 10:26:40 PM

I'm nowhere near 30 (6+ years to go...), but:

Are you happy with your post-college life? - YES

Are you where you wanted to be, doing what you wanted to do, living with "the one", driving what you always wanted to drive....etc.

I'm not making as much $$ as I want to, but I'm with a good company, have a great immediate family, have recently made contact with 2 cousins (1 of whom I've NEVER spoken to in my life) so am reconnecting/connecting with extended family, get to travel for work and take fun vacations to wherever I want, have a strong circle of close friends in my city (and for the first time in my life, most of them are girls)!

I'm taking care of myself physically, feel challenged mentally by work, have a lot of variety in my activies in my spare time, and overall, I'm very at peace with who and where I am right now.

I'm seriously considering relocating within the year, which would take care of my car debt (i'd sell it). Other than that just have student loans, and when I enter grad school payments on them will stop, so I'll be able to save enough to pay them off at graduation, if not before!

The past 2 years really sucked, but I'm in a good place right now. I'm eager to see what the next 6 years brings .

Oh, and single. Haven't met a guy worth my time recently, and I'm very OK with that.

7/19/2008 5:23:29 PM

I'm 27. Dropped out, no degree, though I'm now on the very part-time 10-year plan mainly as a hobby.

Bought a house 2 1/2 years ago with a ridiculously good rate. 3 bed, 2 bath, 0 roommates, 0 problems affording it.

Car works.

Job is awesome. Nice office, great boss, good department, feeling of worth, low stress, pension, paid well enough.

Money: I'm not rich, but I make more than enough to make me happy. I will not be making it rain anytime soon, though I think it would be pretty hilarious to do with a few rolls of pennies.

Family life is better than it's ever been.

Can travel pretty much when & where I like. Friends with couches in cool cities.

And as soon as I stopped worrying about not having a girlfriend, I stopped having a reason to. Somehow I began to show confidence and have no issues with this anymore.

Lost 85 lbs over a couple years, now I run to stay fit. Running is fun now, just a part of me. Beginning a little upper body routine just for the hell of it.

I have my health.

What can I say, I'm a happy guy.

7/19/2008 5:36:31 PM

i have a son that i adore.

i have a job.

i have a car that works and is comfortable.

i have a family that loves me.

i am not destitute.

happy? about some things, but others could always use some improving.

7/19/2008 8:26:40 PM

...as for the ride situation. i am perfectly happy with my 99 Accord coupe. i did however pull a baller move recently, in purchasing a luxury sedan for a family member.

btw, the new Accords are fucking beautiful. i can see myself buying one in a couple of years.

7/20/2008 6:34:42 PM

I'm semi-happy with things right now. I just go through the motions mostly.

My job pays well enough (some say I could be making more, but whatever), but it's boring as hell. I put in a minimal amount of effort and I think it shows.

Don't have "the one", but don't really want it at this point. Would be nice to be seeing someone worthwhile though.

I wouldn't say I have a lot of friends. I really only have one to be honest and then a few acquaintances.

My car (a 97 Civic) gets me from point A to point B and it's a smooth ride. That's good enough for me.

Things I'd like to change:

Buy a house. I rent a room from my roommate and I'm running out of space for my stuff.
Get a better paying and/or more fulfilling job.
Get out and meet more people.

7/20/2008 11:56:43 PM

If I won the lottery I wouldn't change anything except I would go to Vegas with my dad a little more often--I believe that says a lot.

I have a job I love that allows me to solve fun problems and take time off when I "need" to go party in another city. I am involved in the center of the universe for my hobby and working a second job I love to death related to this. I am moving into a really bad ass new place I just bought in 3 weeks. I had a few rough patches after school but things couldn't be better.

[Edited on July 21, 2008 at 12:50 AM. Reason : a]

7/21/2008 12:49:46 AM

I'll be 30 in one month

Career: Better than it could have been but less distinguished than I had thought. My personal and family expectations were high and I have not met them.

Relationship: Married to my college sweetheart so that part is going well

Car: Still drive a POS, though cars have never really been my thing.

Friends: I don't do enough to keep up.

7/23/2008 3:34:08 PM

30 this month.

i'm a very lucky man to be where i am now, especially when to take into account that 28 months ago, i was driving to arizona high as a kite in a 92 sentra, with 400 bucks in my pocket.

i should be dead or in prison.

8/2/2008 7:36:38 PM

I turned 30 17 months ago.

No.
No.
Yes.
No.
No.

8/2/2008 9:11:20 PM

i'll be 30 in November and the only things i can think of that i'm missing that i really want are:


a little more financial stability...which i'm working on

a family

and my dream house...but i can live without this

8/3/2008 8:35:07 PM

31 shortly

yes to all

8/3/2008 10:10:24 PM

3 years shy, but currently deciding whether or not to do a PhD which would ride right through 30...

So I have a HUGE life decision between taking a Job in the Raleigh Area that would allow me to have the personal life I've dreamed about for the past few years (Nice house, boat, travel, potentially wife, kids etc) OR job offer #2 is work for MIT and most likely do PhD at MIT where I would have the technical freedom few can dream of, but I would be working more than I ever thought possible...

This is the decision I'm currently facing... so everything is MASSIVELY in the air... good thing I have 3 years before I hit that 30 mark

[Edited on August 3, 2008 at 11:14 PM. Reason : Happy with life? absolutely... but "life decisions" are pretty darn stressful]

8/3/2008 11:14:03 PM

I'll be 28 in less than a month, and am I happy? Yes and No.

If you had asked me this early in 2007, the answer would have been an unqualified "No". I had lost several friends (pretty much entirely my own fault), I was lonely, I was miserable in my job and in danger of getting fired, eating poorly, not exercising, and just generally in a funk. Probably a pretty unpleasant person to be around too.

18 or so months down the road, the story is different. I moved on and renewed some other friendships that I never should have let lapse, I moved (within Raleigh, but the change of scenery helped), got a new job, and met a wonderful girl whom I adore. We'll have been together for a year in a few weeks... Started working out and starting to see results, though I've a long way to go there. Relationship with my family has been one good constant throughout all of this, also.

I'm still not entirely happy--while my job is low-stress and pays the bills, I often struggle for motivation and question what I want to do long-term. I'm in a poor financial situation, with way too much credit card debt due to a lack of discipline in spending and little hope of home ownership anytime soon. While I like what I drive (2003 Mercury Marauder) it's far from paid off, and with current gas prices the poor MPG is adding to the financial burden. And while I have started back on the road to health, I really do have an uphill climb (need to lose about 45 lbs. to have a healthy BMI, need to do a lot of cardio work and strength training also). If you had asked me when I graduated college, I'm sure I would have put myself in a much better place at age 28...but all things considered, I'm happy to be where I am. Not content, not satisfied, but counting my blessings.

8/4/2008 10:08:01 AM