Well, after I finish taking my last final this Friday at 7PM, I will officially be a Texas Ex. Graduation ceremony was last Saturday at 9AM. The past 4.5 have been totally grueling and exhausting. Still hasn't sunk in that I conquered the UT Electrical Engineering program. My question is: how will my life change now that I'm out of college? As some of ya'll know I took a job in Austin, so I'll still be around the city. Almost all of my friends will be around as well. Do I have to visit my mom in Sugar Land now that I can't use school work as an excuse to stay in Austin? Also, since I'll be a salaried employee, what should my first big purchase be? Keep in mind that I don't plan on buying a house anytime soon. Also, the SUV of choice among Texas Exes seems to be the Tahoe. I've always had my eye on this truck, so that's what I'll be going after I guess. I'll be one of those alums that wears the pressed button-down Longhorn shirt, chinos, and hangs the Texas flags from the windows of their Tahoe. Aside from driving a Tahoe and living in a nicer apartment, what else should I look forward to?
Student loan payment...taking over more expenses you never thought possible (if your parents have been taking care of that while you were in school)...office politics...etc etc etc. It isn't a walk in the park, dude. Be sure you go see your Mom every once in a while. She's the only Mom you'll ever have and she won't be around forever. Congrats on your graduation. Do go out and buy yourself some nice stuff...you've earned it.
Wow congrats Baqui99... I graduated last year...and it's been kind of a difficult transition for me. I miss UT...the campus...the rush of a busy school day...getting wasted on 6th with your buddies... list goes on and on... hang in there.
Don't be that ex with the longhorn in the trailer hitch. It's not worth it! Get the Tahoe, just not that damned hitch thing. Also, I recently became a Texas Ex and life really just goes on...imagine that?
congrats Baqui99, I will be in your position in a year. Starting this spring, I will have 1 year left, and will graduate in Dec. 2003. did you enjoy the extra semester of UT football Tickets?
Congrats man! The transition was easy for me. I got a job right away after graduating and stayed in Austin. I started by deciding to save a ton of money before going buck wild. The first year after I graduated, I got a really crappy apartment, gave my parents back the cell phone they provided me in college, didn't order cable or broadband, and only spent my money on nice furniture to fill my apartment. After one year of living skimpily my savings account was padded very nicely. I then moved to one of these alleged "luxury apartments" near Round Rock, bought a new car, and ordered every service known to man (digital cable, all the movie channels, broadband, etc.) I still think that was the best road for me, because unlike my counterparts, I have a nice backup in savings to live off of during the hard times. good luck! edit: oh and visit your parents. mine live in houston and they love when i come down, it literally seems to make their day. it makes them so proud to have a child that has become independent and lives on his own. sometimes its still tough for them to let go though. case in point: i went home for thanksgiving and my parents bought me new running shoes because they saw how horribly out of shape mine were. plus they bought me some new winter clothes since i'm too lazy to go shopping. I got pretty upset b/c I told them I was an adult and didn't want them buying me things. I tried to sneak them money for the items they bought me, but the found it and tossed it in my luggage before I left. Parents... ya gotta love 'em.
Hey man, congratulations on the graduation. I just graduated from college last December as well, and miss it quite a bit right now. All my friends are in the same area, but it is still harder to just hang out now, than it was back in college. Everyone is busy with work and just life in general, too many responsibilities. The biggest thing is no break!!! All year I was looking forward to winter break, and it's like ... nope, no more of that ... gotta keep working. Although the paycheck is definitely welcome, I miss my time off. The first thing I bought outta college was also a car, my 350Z baby, and that is about it ... haven't splurged other than that, trying to save for the rainy days should I get laid off. Again, congratulations ... enjoy freedom before you start working
First of all congrats on the completion of your degree... whooop....ooops, wrong school. Welcome to the Texas Exes! The first thing you will notice is something that it seems like you all ready know. You can look forward to having some real money in your pocket. Staying in Austin is actually a realy good idea as you will be working but you will still have a chance to be with some of your college friends. It helps the transition period. The suggestion I will make to you is to network as much as you possibly can and never stop doing it. The Longhorn family/network is a very good thing to be involved with and it will pay off down the road. Way to go!
You will play less sports You will have more money You will see less hot women Your friends will start to disappear You will watch more TV You will learn about office politics You will gain about 20 pounds you will golf a lot more You will not miss the exams and reading you'll learn to click away from the bbs when boss comes around You'll start thinking about management you'll wonder why you decided to become a manager you'll end up meeting the rest of us at the middle.
Thanks for the responses guys. It'll be nice to finally be independent. rockit, I guess I shouldn't feel guilty about the Tahoe since you splurged on the 350Z. PSJ, as an intern I learned to read the BBS in a minimized window with some technical documents in the background that I can easily click to. TheHorns, I'll have to start doing happy hour more often then. drapg, with the way apartment prices are now, I don't think I'll have to live in a cheap place. But I do agree with you about saving the money in case I get canned. rezdawg, 3 series Bimmer is nice, but insurance is sky high.
Also, cars are a horrible investment. If you buy a 35 thousand dollar car you'll lose more value in 5 years than a 20 thousand dollar car. I hope you love driving.
sup fellow longhorn, im a junior at UT, good luck, man are there any places that constantly broadcast rockets games on tv, im missing them, tired of only 5 broadcasted games a year lol , thanks jeff
acejeff, You should check out Aussies for rockets games when we go. We go to quite a few, no need to miss all the games. Just announce when you are going to go and we'll show up. don graham
Part I: You will play less sports - You will have more money - You will see less hot women - Your friends will start to disappear - You will watch more TV - You will learn about office politics - You will gain about 20 pounds -
Part II: you will golf a lot more - You will not miss the exams and reading - you'll learn to click away from the bbs when boss comes around - You'll start thinking about management - you'll wonder why you decided to become a manager - you'll end up meeting the rest of us at the middle. - [/B]
College was the best (and easiest) 4 years of your life. Now you have responsibilities. You can't just decide to skip work, like classes. At some point you will have more bills. Even if you paid your own way thru college you won't want to live in a crummy campus apartment. It will be toughter to meet girls, just due to opportunites. Your 1st job will probably suck. Other than that it's great! Honestly the transition is big but most of us do it w-out a problem.