Facing reality is both exciting and sobering for me. After years of hard work, I graduated college a little less than a month ago and I just wrapped up my first 2 weeks at my new job. I was lucky in that I ended up getting offered a job before graduation and that it was something I was interested in doing. I'm now working for an oilfield services company as a drill bit designer. It's fitting because I enjoyed all aspects of CAD in school and being able to apply it to a major industry is just plain awesome, not to mention that I can literally follow my designs as they go from the design phase, to the manufacturing facility, and even out to the field.

Nonetheless, things aren't all rainbows and sunshine. I've spent so much freaking money over the last month its almost sickening. I do have my own apartment now, but outside of college apartments, no places actually offer furnished apartments. So slowly, I'm having to buy all my own furniture so for the time being, it's a work in progress apartment. Nonetheless, it's insane thinking that a month ago I was wrapping up finals and turning in design projects and such. Now I get to be haunted by the mounds of short term debt I've gotten myself into, and how in the world I'm ever going to stop buying so much stuff haha.

Besides that, now I get to face the harsh truth that income taxes hurt a hell of a lot more than before. An entire fourth of first pay check was sucked out for federal income tax alone. I knew by being in a higher tax bracket I was going to have to pay more, but damn.This just feels cruel. You don't give a college student total freedom and then say "Oh yeah, that salary figure your new employer offered you? That's not really what you earn. You earn 75% of that, the rest falls into oblivion."

And before you start bashing me for complaining, no I realize that I'm extremely fortunate in all respects. I left college with minimal debt (until I had buy furniture and appliances), have a good job (that I will enjoy by the way), and have no major financial obligations other than rent and utilities. Life is good.