October 16, 2013 - Written by: Poppy Gillian

Suffering Post Uni Blues? Me too!

So I have been a working, tax-paying member of society for about a year now. Yes, it’s good to no longer be spending frustratingly long periods of time filling in job applications, stressing over what to wear to interviews and freaking out about the prospect of being unemployed forever. But I don’t deny that I miss being a student. Everyone seems to tell you that it is the best time of your life and that you’ve got to make the most of it. But the reality only slaps you in the face when your Uni days are far behind you.

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Here are the three things I miss the most.

Living on my own.

This is the big one. You can choose your friends (and your housemates) but unfortunately you can’t choose your family: the big downside to having to move back home. Friends like having long chats, are sympathetic and make you laugh. Siblings give one word answers (e.g. I ask, ‘where are you going?’ then sibling one, two or three answers ‘out.’ ) They also argue with you and steal your stuff. I literally can’t put anything down without one of them ‘borrowing’ it. Whenever one of my sisters eats food that I’ve bought she calls it ‘sharing’ I did try to explain that ‘sharing’ means that you give it back afterwards. Sometimes I actually feel like I would be happy to live in the shed in the garden. I miss my own space so much!

Cooking

I really miss cooking for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still cook now. We are meant to take it in turns at home, but inevitably this results in a lack of communication and there is at least one day a month when no one cooks dinner at all because we all think someone else is doing it. This then causes shouting, moody strops and tension-filled silences. At Uni I liked the fact that I could cook what I wanted when I wanted. It was exciting to experiment with whatever was left in the cupboard at the end of the week. In the family home there is no such luck. The siblings are like termites; they eat EVERYTHING. Well, almost. I think even Heston Blumenthaal would struggle to make a meal out of a tin of dog food and a jar of pickled onions.

Naps

Oh man, how I long for an afternoon nap! It used to be such a normal thing to finish off an essay and then reward myself with a nice, cosy afternoon nap. Many times I have sat at my desk at work and fantasised about having a nap, even a quick ten minutes would do. But unfortunately a hard desk does not make a comfy pillow, and as school kids are always charging in to see me, there is a high risk that I’d be caught out, slumped in an unattractive position and dribbling.

Despite my nostalgia for Uni life, there are plenty of upsides to being a working woman. When you tell people you’re a student they seem to automatically assume that you stay in bed all day working your way through the entire box-set of ‘Friends.’ (That does happen occasionally but it’s not a daily thing! You do have to get through a lot of work to pass your degree.) But when you tell people you have a job, they seem to have a bit of respect for you, even if it’s not something they’re particularly interested in.

Another plus is actually having money! So, I’m not at the stage where I can buy a mansion in the country but it’s nice to have a shopping spree once in a while without feeling guilty.

I also value weekends a million times more than I used to. The saying ‘thank god it’s Friday’ does not have a true meaning until you have worked a 40ish hour week.

So, if you’re a student my advice to you is to squeeze in as many naps as you can and have as many good times with your friends as possible. But then you will have to venture into the working world eventually, and it isn’t all that bad, although a three day weekend would be nice!

So, whether you’re napping, partying or working hard, have a good week and roll on Friday!