Post-college Depression

Announcement:
This post has been moved to a new page on a new blog I have started that focuses on Personal and Career Development for Young Professionals. It can be found at www.MarcosSalazar.com.

As opposed to straight out career blogs that cover resumes, the job search, or interviewing skills, I will taking a psychology approach to not only these parts of your career but also will be covering the personal, social, and workforce challenges that college graduates and young professionals are facing in the 21st century. As I did in The Turbulent Twenties Survival Guide, I utilize a psychological approach to covering these topics and will be integrating important research within real life situations to provide practical advice for people's personal and professional development (if you have read The Turbulent Twenties Survival Guide you know what I mean).

Some of the topics I will be covering are:

• learning how to find and follow what you love doing
• practical steps on how to get into Flow at work
• understanding the psychology of happiness and affective forecasting
• managing the tyranny of choice
• learning how to cultivate your emotional and cultural intelligence
• networking in the internet age
• learning how to brand yourself professionally
• discovering how to use blogging as a professional tool (it is the new resume of our generation)
• how to become more of an entrepreneur
• using social-networking for professional advancement
• getting over post-college depression
• helping to answer all those questions that we work through during our 20s and 30s such as: Who am I? Who do I want to become? Where am I going? What are my passions in life? Am I making the right decisions?

So I hope you take a look at the site, subscribe, and share it with friends.

I have also created a series of more in-depth posts about post-college depression at MarcosSalazar.com. Here I will delving much deeper into the increasingly common problem of depression, anxiety, and stress emerging adults of Generation Y through a series of posts as well as show how it can affect your work and career. I want to raise awareness of this epidemic among millennials and let people know that they are not alone in facing this problem. I exposed this problem in the Turbulent Twenties Survival Guide where I provided the first comprehensive explanation of this common problem and here I will expand on my findings as well as provide ways that you can combat the post-college blues. So please visit MarcosSalazar.com for the latest information on this topic.

Take care!

- Marcos Salazar
www.marcossalazar.com

____________________________

In doing research for my book, I was so surprised by how many graduates told me that either they had become depressed or knew of fellow twentysomethings who had developed major depression. Along with depression, many spoke about feeling extremely nervous about how their life was unfolding because they did not know what the next step was and felt like they were simply wondering through their twenties. Because of nature of this transitional period, it is extremely common to struggle with an array of negative emotions that arise from all the challenges they face after college.

Many of the symptoms that twentysomethings said they experience after college are:

- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
- Focusing on failure at motherhood
- Excessive anxiety
- Lack of confidence
- Feeling of being overwhelmed
- Sadness
- Loss of interest in normal activities
- Tiredness
- Feeling like they’re not good enough
- Impaired concentration or memory
- Inability to cope
- Despondency or despair
- Hopelessness

Please visit this page at MarcosSalazar.com for the latest information on this topic, ways in which you can combat postcollege depression, and please post any new comments there.

Comments

[Jamie]

I am a recent graduate from Cal, which is a huge accomplishment for me because of my difficulty developing my educational path. I finished a degree in Social Welfare last August, but feel like I could've made changes (such as transferring to a new school) to make my current situation better. I know that I became somewhat sad in college and am still feeling that way now. I feel like I lost a part of myself in the past 4 years, and now that I'm out in the real world, I'm still trying to find myself. I quit 2 jobs and have been looking for a new job since Dec -- but I'm not even sure where I want to start my career. I feel as if I am the only one out of my friends that is experiencing this "quarterlife crisis," as everyone but me still has their close friends, a job, a car, etc etc etc. But thanks for having this website. I will refer to it during my "life" search.

[chris]

Jamie your story seems a bit too similar to mine. I am currently going through the same feeling. As a male minority I feel that I don't have any one to turn to with these feelings. In my community such feelings are not meant to be expressed by a man whom has his health, youth, and education. Yet, it is tough to move on, and hard to express the feelings you are not suppose to have especially when you are talking to people who are not in a similar situation.

[sara]

I never expected to feel so sad after graduating. I feel like everything I know is gone, and I am so afraid to go to interviews because I feel like I haven't really learned anything in college that could prepare me for the future besides waking up early and studying for things I don't even remember anymore. Everyone says I should be proud, but I feel like college was so much work on subjects that don't matter, and after all this work all I get is a fancy piece of paper, and no real skills.

[Tony]

Turbulent Twenties...For me i did my depression 1 year before graduation and i started medication but i am relapsing and i am doing doing up and downs when i graduated i was full of energy and hope by presenting my cv and doing interviews now i feel worthless as an Engineer i just dont know how to get rid of this negative ideas !

[Leslie]

I just graduated college and have definitely been feeling the post college blues. I feel extremely worthless, and I definitely can relate to sara. I feel like I acquired no skills to offer the work force, and have yet to find a "real job." Every day I think "today will be different" and hope to hear from a job I applied for, or from a company I interviewed with, all to no avail. I now work three part time jobs because I can't seem to find any full time work. It just seems like I can't catch a break, and it's spilling over into my personal life as well. I can't seem to relate to anyone because I graduated a year early, and all my friends either have full time jobs, or are still in college. I just want to be able to do something I love and put all my passion into it.

[Leslie]

I just graduated college and have definitely been feeling the post college blues. I feel extremely worthless, and I definitely can relate to sara. I feel like I acquired no skills to offer the work force, and have yet to find a "real job." Every day I think "today will be different" and hope to hear from a job I applied for, or from a company I interviewed with, all to no avail. I now work three part time jobs because I can't seem to find any full time work. It just seems like I can't catch a break, and it's spilling over into my personal life as well. I can't seem to relate to anyone because I graduated a year early, and all my friends either have full time jobs, or are still in college. I just want to be able to do something I love and put all my passion into it.

[Meg]

In the past, universities created specific degrees for specific jobs that employees would have forever. What's worse, they filled us with a little too much confidence. Now that the economy is unstable, this model doesn't work at all. You have to be creative and flexible. Research jobs that could benefit from your skill set. Start working small, but make very big plans to stay motivated. Also, have faith that you'll click with somebody interviewing you. My boss hired me just because she liked me! Imagine!

[Janice]

I am also feeling the post-graduation anxiety! I feel that as a graduate I deserve the respect, and paycheck, that should come along with it. Unfortunately, most interviewers disagree. In contrast to Sara, I think I have learned many great skills and have a great work ethic, but I can not find a job that will appreciate me and allow me to exercise these skills. I can't afford more unpaid internships to get the 'experience' employers want. I know I can perform, and hopefully will find an appropriate place to do so soon. Money, no boyfriend, loss of friends, and seeing others' rapid success rates are bringing me down. I have no motivation to get out of bed each and every morning!

[Mischa]

Hi fellow graduates. I'm in the same boat over here in europe. I remember how wonderful it was when I finally completed my last assignment. I was really motivated to get a job. I pretty much gave everything up(also time to meet friends) to earn a degree. Then I ran into catch 22 and it went downwards from then on. -BSCS College Degree BUT no working experience- Finding it very hard to find a job, also due to the staggering economy. My old non-college friends all have money, relationships, friends.. some are even married and have kids.. and I'm sitting at home with my parents waiting to finally get a sh*tty entry job. I can't sleep until 5 in the morning, then sleep till 12. Feel really sick and have no motivation what so ever to do certifications that may possibly get me another crappy job. My cum laude isn't worth anything out here. What a waste of time.