Struggling with life post university

Hey, fellow unhappy graduate here. My situation is similar except I don't live at home. I graduated in 2012 with a 2:1.

I arranged to live with a girl from the uni rowing club after I graduated in the neighbouring city and I got myself a 'short-term' waitressing job....but I'm still working there now!!! It's awful hours like 12-11pm then 7am-3pm the next day or 9am-8pm and it's such **** work/pay. I get asked "are you a student then? What job do you want to do?", people don't assume this is my full time job and I'm a graduate!

Yikes sounds awful, my hours are long but luckily they tend to stay the same. It must be annoying for people to keep asking that. Are there any progression opportunities whatsoever?

Unlike you though I couldn't find an internship or a good job. I can't even get an office job because I have no 'office experience'! How did you find your internship and what are you doing for it? It's good you got this job actually because you won't be there for long and it'll be fantastic for your CV. I assume it's fixed term thing. Life is hard after uni, I agree, and it's pretty normal to be tired after work.

You found a job though, which in the current climate is an achievement in itself . I completely ignored the big companies after constantly failing their numerical tests and applied for SMEs both speculatively and through graduate job sites. I found this one on the Graduate Talent Pool site. It's client facing, fast paced and tasks can vary from the mundane (photocopying) to the extreme (liaising with important foreign investors). It's a year long internship with the opportunity of a proper position if I perform well. Isn't that always the way with work? You need experience to get experience .

I. like you. didn't really have an uni friends after to speak of, only a close one but she's down in London (I'm in the North) so I don't see her much. I did make a few friends and meet my boyfriend there so it feels quite nice. I know you said you're tired from work but could you join a sports club on the weekend or something and meet a few friends there?

It's nice that you have a boyfriend. That's another problem. I feel like I'll never meet anyone now because I'm no longer surrounded by loads of guys of the same age. It's funny you should suggest that, I do netball on Sundays but haven't been because I've been so tired and it seems more like a chore than something fun.

Have you thought about house-shares in London? I've done a few after uni just with professionals living there so it was quite relaxed. I used spareroom.co.uk. That way you can move out and be independant but don't have the pricetag of renting by yourself.

I'm seriously considering this option. That's the thing, I'm not sure I even want 'relaxed'. I miss the chaos that was Halls

I'd try and recommend focusing on a new chapter of your life. You can't be a student forever and you can always look back on your partying days with fondness - everybody does. It's a gradual process of getting used to the 'real world' and if you move out I think you'd feel a lot better Congratulations and good luck with the job, it's something I'm so desperate for atm!

I suppose I'm meant to be one of the "lucky" ones. I managed to get a well paid internship after finishing university. I was of course thrilled after failing time and time again to get part-time retail/bar/cafe work while studying at uni/college. The only paid job I had before this was bar work at a festival and that was temp (2 weeks). So you can call this my first real job.

The hours are quite long and I finish quite late (they ask me if I would mind this at the interview and of course I said no, you say anything to get a job). I find myself extremely tired when I get off and genuinely fatigued at the weekend. It's scary to think that the rest of my life will be like this where my whole life is basically work. The job itself is client-focused and I struggle a bit with that.

A separate issue is that I'm struggling living back at home. I lived out for all three years. The lack of independence is quite strange. Going from being surrounded by 8 loud fun students to just my dad is a culture shock. He keeps calling me and if I go to an after work drink and come back late he will complain. I'm looking at moving out though even though renting in London will be financially painful.

Very lonely. I was literally one of the only one among of my friends whose home was in London. The ones who did all hang out with the friends they had from before uni started. I didn't really have any before university which is probably why I attach so much fondness to it. I always seem to be the one to try and organise things, it's like they settled into their new lives really quickly. There is nothing for me to look forward to, every day is work and the weekend is empty. It's silly but I miss the university nights, going on pub crawls, clubbing, just the general pratting about.

I don't feel I fit in well with the people at work. They are all older than me and I find it difficult getting involved in the conversations that they have when we go for after work drinks. Also drink prices in the real world are pretty shocking