5 Overlooked Adjustments from Student to Employee Photo source: freedigitalphotos.net
August 21 2012

5 Overlooked Adjustments from Student to Employee

Many students think they experience culture shock when they make the transition from high school to college, but an even greater transitional shock is the one experienced when college graduates enter the workplace for the first time.  The most common advice comes in getting a degree and an internship, but here are five overlooked adjustments from life as a student to life as an employee.

Sitting Down for Extended Periods in a Confined Area

Many college students are active. They walk to classes and may even walk into town to hang out with friends, shop, or see a movie. Many are also involved in extracurricular sporting activities. So it may come as a shock to both mind and body to suddenly be required to spend up to eight hours a day sitting at a desk, not to mention the possibility of long commutes that could tag on even more confined sitting every day.

The Dreaded Weight Gain

You might have heard of the “freshman 15,” well welcome to the “corporate 20.” It’s very easy for new graduates to start packing on extra pounds when they begin life in the “real world” of working a 9-to-5 job. A major reason for this is the shift to a sedentary lifestyle. Additionally, the “daily grind” of long workdays and commuting often leaves little time for cooking and prepared meals.

And speaking of grabbing a meal, it’s common for recent grads to pick up some unhealthy eating habits in this new world of vending machines and fast food lunches. As you can imagine, the combination of not exercising and eating poorly can stretch many a waistline.

The Shock of Dressing the Part

On most campuses across the country you’ll find young men and women in very casual attire, usually jeans or shorts and T-shirts or sweatshirts. Sometimes, sweatpants round out the outfit. Once in the professional world, however, these same young men and women will be expected to dress the part. That means business attire or, at the very least, business casual attire on a daily basis. Talk about culture shock. From jeans and flip-flops to suits and loafers, this particular transition is one of the hardest new graduates face.

No Personal Freedom to Socialize

Correction, this is one of the hardest transitions to adjust to for young people entering the workplace. Members of today’s digital generation are practically glued to their smartphones and other mobile devices, checking for the latest updates on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. They may be accustomed to having an hour between classes in which to go online and socialize, but now they are on the clock and their online habits likely will be curtailed.

In addition, concerns about worker productivity, protecting proprietary information and inappropriate online usage mean many companies monitor their employees’ use of workplace computers and software.

A Different Kind of Feedback

Students are used to getting regular feedback in the form of grades. In a workplace environment, they will have to adjust to the norm on the job which is usually centered around performance management instead of constant and prolific feedback. They’ll certainly hear if they’re not living up to standards, but getting an A+ for a job well done may be a thing of the past.

These are just a handful of the numerous adjustments college graduates will possibly face in making the move to the workforce. The more prepared they are for these changes the better able they’ll be to handle the transition.

About the Author: This guest post was provided by Jessica Edmondson who contributes on Business Management Degrees for the University Alliance, a division of Bisk Education, Inc.

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