I've had a lot of "congratulations" after finishing grad school, but there's been a couple reactions that I'm not sure about. Examples: "Now you get to look for a job!" or "Welcome to the real world!" or some combination of these comments.
What's the point of saying things like that? I'm not really one to toot my own horn, but essentially to me, it seems like people say things like that to detract from the fact that I just worked really hard on something that they don't value and/or quite understand. Like, "Oh yeah, you did that and it's great and everything, but guess what? Now you get to look for a job and suffer through that whole process. Was it worth it to go to grad school or did you just do it to delay looking for a job?" or "You basically just spent two years of your life not actually doing anything worthwhile in a fairytale land that doesn't mean anything to those of us here in the 'real world.' Good luck adjusting." This is what I hear when people say things like that to me. What I wish my response could be: "Yeah... I've done the job search before and I've also worked in the 'real world' before, but thanks. Just as an FYI, working in the 'real world' isn't nearly as challenging as grad school."
Maybe I'm silly for being offended when people say things like that. I just don't get it, I guess. It's like the equivalent of being like, "Congrats on getting married! Now you get to share your bed every night with someone who steals the covers and snores!" or "Congrats on your baby! Have fun not having a social life and spending a lot on diapers." You would never say that to someone--at least not in a serious way. Maybe I just take things too seriously...
What's the point of saying things like that? I'm not really one to toot my own horn, but essentially to me, it seems like people say things like that to detract from the fact that I just worked really hard on something that they don't value and/or quite understand. Like, "Oh yeah, you did that and it's great and everything, but guess what? Now you get to look for a job and suffer through that whole process. Was it worth it to go to grad school or did you just do it to delay looking for a job?" or "You basically just spent two years of your life not actually doing anything worthwhile in a fairytale land that doesn't mean anything to those of us here in the 'real world.' Good luck adjusting." This is what I hear when people say things like that to me. What I wish my response could be: "Yeah... I've done the job search before and I've also worked in the 'real world' before, but thanks. Just as an FYI, working in the 'real world' isn't nearly as challenging as grad school."
Maybe I'm silly for being offended when people say things like that. I just don't get it, I guess. It's like the equivalent of being like, "Congrats on getting married! Now you get to share your bed every night with someone who steals the covers and snores!" or "Congrats on your baby! Have fun not having a social life and spending a lot on diapers." You would never say that to someone--at least not in a serious way. Maybe I just take things too seriously...
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