Pondering life after Tech: Does reality bite?

So you've got the diploma. You've cashed the checks from the relatives and bought a whole new wardrobe and DVD collection. The memories of procrastination, friendship and occasional romance fire quickly and freshly in your brain. Now what?

The jeans and hoodie combination doesn't make the boss as happy as the similarly garbed professors and TAs of your intro courses. Suddenly everyone around you is (or appears) at least ten years older than you with kids and a trust fund, and they all drink coffee.

What's a new college graduate to do? Many appear to agree that the first year out of college is a time of unique personal transition. Katie Donovan, a Chemical Engineering graduate in 2003, said the job search process proves challenging.

"It takes guts to put yourself out there and keep applying," she said in an interview. Donovan, who is still searching for the perfect opportunity to officially start her engineering career, worked as a waitress for two years.

She has recently decided to move to Palo Alto, California as her husband, also a Tech graduate, was offered a position there.

Donovan says that working as a waitress has allowed her to meet new types of people, as well as effective ways of communicating with them.

"Tech really is a unique community, but sometimes we forget that when we're here. There are a lot of people out there who are a lot different than we are...not better or worse, but different ...communication skills are not what most engineers are known for. But I have learned how to deal with lots of different people, with lots of different backgrounds and personalities," she said.

Job experts have also argued that professional and personal success requires intangible skills in addition to a college degree. A positive attitude and the ability to manage your time are highly useful tools in reaching personal success, according to corporate training specialist Jim Pawlak in the Detroit News in May 2005. A working knowledge of Microsoft Office and sufficient typing skills never hurt, either, Pawlak said.

Some students at Tech begin pursuing the first steps of their career path immediately after graduation. Josh Lannu, a 2005 graduate in Biomedical Engineering, plans to enter an MD/Ph.D. program and start his own biomedical company. He is currently completing his applications for several schools.

Lannu believes Tech prepared him well for the workforce.

"The biomedical engineering department here has been great by presenting several real world type problems that I could face in industry," he said.

"Overall I feel it has been a good prep since the majority of the time we were left to our own devices to solve problems," Lannu said.

Lannu also gave his impression of the so-called "real world."

"The 'real world' is just a term I believe for life after college but we live in it every day in various degrees even while in college," he said.

"Balancing finances, working out schedules, meeting deadlines are all part of the realities one faces outside of school . . . Graduating signifies the completion of one phase of life and the beginning of something new."

There's nothing like learning most everyone your age has similar experiences as you, even the experiences that require more struggle and more determination.

The critically-acclaimed book Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties, by Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner is a popular source to consult regarding the transition. The Tony-award winning musical Avenue Q poses similar questions on young adulthood, from finding a fulfilling job to dating the right person.

Not all Tech students take a job that is directly related to their major. Chris Wieczorek graduted in 2005 with a Masters in mechanical engineering and will attend law school at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Like Lannu, Wieczorek praises Tech for its preparation of students for adult life.

"If there is only onething that I think a Tech education bestows upon its graduates it's the virtue of perseverance. Some of my friends chose their colleges for the experience, whereas Tech provided an education," he said.

Wieczorek does suggest that some changes to Tech's curriculum could be beneficial to graduates.

"I know this is a subject of academic debate, but I think Tech should make more of an effort in some of the laboratory classes to put theory into practice as opposed to thinking that the student will learn the practical applications via extracurricular activities or osmosis," he said.

Financially, graduates from technical schools may have an upper hand over graduates from liberal arts colleges.

CareerBuilder, a popular search engine and career advice website, asserts that students with engineering degrees have stronger financial prospects after graduation .

According to the site, chemical engineers earn an average of $52,819 per year and computer engineers $51,572 per year.

These figures contrast the average starting salary of liberal arts majors, who tend to make near $30,152 per year immediately following graduation.

Students who attend law school or graduate degrees in their fields generally earn more money yearly than those with just bachelor degrees.

Other things that'll probably come in handy: a positive attitude, and the confidence to ask questions and take advice.