Post College Stress Disorder (PCSD)

In a post-college effort to continue living a life free of worry and responsibility, I find myself trying to attain a similar life to that of what we once knew so well. Instead of going out during the week to get bombed at that run-down pub across the street from my off-campus apartment, I go to what us working folk call "Happy Hour". Although the words Happy Hour are referring to a singular notion, the term is far from a singular hour...at least for me and my work crew it is. Our happy hour's are the real deal; they last anywhere from 5:00p-12:00a and usually end with a bunch of us heading back to my apartment for the after hours party - which is conveniently located around the corner from all of the happy hour bars & 10 blocks from my office.



At this point, almost all of your friends from high school & college have made their transition out of their homes, into the city and the working world. So in actuality, weekends in the city bring forth the same freedoms we had in our college days - plenty of party time for all. This brings us to the new form of the "keg party", called "the pre-game". While there may not be keg parties in Manhattan filled with jello-shots & Jungle Juice, there is no lack of pre-games/parties to attend in friends apartments. Pre-games allow entry-level 20-somethings who can barely afford to pay city rent, the ability to maintain a level of drunkeness parallel to that of a college student.



The bar scene in Manhattan is much different from that of the college bar scene. There are a ton more of bars/clubs/lounges than the usual few that everyone from your university goes to each night. The city is a huge place with a lot to offer, including random hook-ups. As a 20-something living in Manhattan, the city is our playground.



So in reality, if you look at the situation from the perspective of a 20-something graduate who still knows how to have a great time, while being a responsibile working adult...life after college is really not so bad. Just remember, a 30 year old somewhere is wishing they were still in their 20's.