Life

14 Questions You Should Never Ask A New Grad

July 14, 2015

Your first year out of college is confusing as hell. You can try to package it as the year you'll have your sh*t together (and if that's the case, mazel tov to you). If it's not the year you have it all (a job, an apartment, a significant other, any semblance of a road map), you're 100 percent not alone. I remember reading articles just like this when I graduated college, and the glimmer of hope the articles provided was almost immediately squashed by going on Facebook and seeing yet another former classmate post a status about a new job. If you're in that place, here's the best thing I can say: All of the people who have it all figured out at 21 and 22 are putting on a show.

It's not that they aren't doing well for themselves. It's that most things in your first year out of college are permanent. In fact, almost none of it is. Not everyone's 5 year college relationships are going to last. Some of your classmates will move to new cities, or get new jobs, but some of them will realize sooner rather than later that those cities or jobs aren't make them happy. Of course, you shouldn't root for the people doing well to fail, but you should take a small amount of comfort in realizing that everyone is in transition the year after college, even the people who aren't admitting it.

If you're feeling these pressures, the last thing you need is the third degree at family gatherings, or even at the local bar on Friday night. Here are 14 questions you should never ask someone in their first year out of college: