Latest news with #GauravChintamneedi
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
'Doomscrolling on Instagram, drained from work': Indian man in US shares reality of life after college
An Indian-origin man in the US has gone viral on LinkedIn after candidly sharing his struggles transitioning from university to corporate life. Gaurav Chintamneedi, a Chapman University graduate, spoke about the emotional and physical challenges he faced during his first year in the workforce. He revealed that moving halfway across the country after graduation marked one of the most difficult periods of his life. Now working as an assistant store manager at a major e-commerce company, Gaurav said he puts in up to 60 hours a week—far from the post-college life he once envisioned. Feeling drained from work and spending all your time working? Indian man in US shares three tips to help break the Post-College Rut Check full text of post here It's been just over a year since I graduated college and moved halfway across the country to Virginia. And let me tell you—this has been one of the most challenging years of my life. When I first arrived in the DMV, I imagined living the dream early-20s life—like the ones we see on TV or romanticize on social media. I pictured myself working a 9–5, grabbing drinks with coworkers after work, striking up conversations with strangers on the metro who'd eventually become close friends. I thought weekends would be filled with brunches, coffee shop side projects, and late-night online courses to build new skills. But reality hit differently. Over the past year, I've worked 50–60 hours a week—often waking up at 3 am for opening shifts. I've spent 95% of my weekends working. And on the rare days off, I was too exhausted to do much of anything. I found myself lying in bed doomscrolling on Instagram , drained from six consecutive days of work, using my limited free time to catch up with friends and family thousands of miles away. Making new connections in a new city wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. I even started to wonder: Did I peak in college? The truth is: I didn't. But the mental transition from college to the real world? That was harder than I ever expected. This post isn't a complaint—it's an acknowledgment. Because I know that struggling with this transition is quite normal. If you're also in your first year post-grad, and struggling to adjust, you are not alone. The feelings of doubt, disconnection, or disillusionment are more common than we think. Even now, I still miss college and sometimes scroll through old photos just to feel closer to that time. But as I cross the one-year mark, I'm shifting gears—ready to build a version of my 20s that I'm proud of. Nope, although I feel it, this year hasn't been wasted time. It's been a year of progress that encompasses; tenacity, self-realization, and redefining purpose. Adjusting to a new society and lifestyle takes time. At the end of the day, it's a life skill that you're now equipped with for the future. Here are 3 mindset shifts I'm working on to help break the Post-College Rut: 𝟭. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆. That lifestyle isn't coming back, but that doesn't mean better days aren't ahead. Life can still be fulfilling, exciting, and full of growth. 𝟮. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. Practice gratitude daily. It keeps you grounded and reminds you of the good around—even on the hardest days. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. Just because the past year hasn't been as exciting as the previous four years of university, doesn't mean you peaked in college. Adjusting takes time, and even though life has become more routine-like, you've made tons of progress just by sticking it through this past year How people reacted? "You said what needed to be said - practicing all three daily! Great insight G," said one user. Love the introspection and advice G! As you've said, the 20's is undoubtedly a challenging time for many of us. There's so many changes and adjustments that happen, that it's ultimately important to adopt these healthy mindsets you've laid out. You've truly grown so much this past year, and your resilience and other skills you've learned will serve you well!" added another user. Live Events "As I approach graduation, I can't help but think about how scary post-graduate life seems like. As usual, thank you for your empowering and reflective words," said another user.
NDTV
20 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
"Waking Up At 3 AM, Working Weekends": Indian-Origin Man In US Shares Harsh Reality Of Life After College
An Indian-origin man living in the US has gone viral on LinkedIn after sharing his struggles with the transition from university to corporate life. In his post, Gaurav Chintamneedi, a graduate from Chapman University, opened up about the emotional and physical toll of his first year in the workforce. He shared that after he graduated, he moved halfway across the country, which was one of the "most challenging" times of his life. Now, as an assistant store manager at a leading e-commerce company, he said that he works up to 60 hours a week - a stark contrast to the life he imagined he would have after college. "When I first arrived in the DMV, I imagined living the dream early-20s life-like the ones we see on TV or romanticize on social media. I pictured myself working a 9-5, grabbing drinks with coworkers after work, striking up conversations with strangers on the metro who'd eventually become close friends. I thought weekends would be filled with brunches, coffee shop side projects, and late-night online courses to build new skills. But reality hit differently," Mr Chintamneedi wrote. He said that over the last year, he has worked 50 to 60 hours a week. Many days, he wakes up at 3 am for the opening shift. "I've spent 95% of my weekends working. And on the rare days off, I was too exhausted to do much of anything," Mr Chintamneedi said. "I found myself lying in bed doomscrolling on Instagram, drained from six consecutive days of work, using my limited free time to catch up with friends and family thousands of miles away. Making new connections in a new city wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. I even started to wonder: Did I peak in college?" he asked, adding: "The truth is: I didn't. But the mental transition from college to the real world? That was harder than I ever expected." Mr Chintamneedi added that his post was not meant to be a complaint. Instead, it was aimed at everyone struggling to adjust. "If you're also in your first year post-grad, and struggling to adjust, you are not alone. The feelings of doubt, disconnection, or disillusionment are more common than we think," he wrote. The post resonated with several young professionals online. Reacting to it, one user wrote, "Love the introspection and advice G! As you've said, the 20's is undoubtedly a challenging time for many of us. There's so many changes and adjustments that happen, that it's ultimately important to adopt these healthy mindsets you've laid out. You've truly grown so much this past year, and your resilience." "Thank you for posting this! This was so encouraging, especially since I just graduated a few weeks ago!" commented another.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘Work 50-60 hours a week, most weekends': Virginia man on harsh reality of life after college
A Virginia man has opened up about the difficult transition from college to corporate life in a now-viral LinkedIn post. Gaurav Chintamneedi said the year after he graduated college and moved halfway across the country was one of the 'most challenging' times of his life. Chintamneedi, an assistant store manager at a leading e-commerce company, said that he works up to 60 hours a week. This is in stark contrast to the life he imagined he would have after college - one where he would work an easy 9 to 5 job and hang out wit his co-workers after office. Instead, he now spends about 95% of his weekends at work too. 'When I first arrived in the DMV, I imagined living the dream early-20s life—like the ones we see on TV or romanticize on social media. I pictured myself working a 9–5, grabbing drinks with coworkers after work, striking up conversations with strangers on the metro who'd eventually become close friends. I thought weekends would be filled with brunches, coffee shop side projects, and late-night online courses to build new skills,' Chintamneedi wrote on LinkedIn. Reality was different. Chintamneedi said that over the last one year, he has worked 50 to 60 hours a week. Many days, he wakes up at 3am for the opening shift. The grilling schedule leaves him drained at the end of the work week. 'Over the past year, I've worked 50–60 hours a week—often waking up at 3 am for opening shifts. I've spent 95% of my weekends working. And on the rare days off, I was too exhausted to do much of anything,' he said. 'I found myself lying in bed doomscrolling on Instagram, drained from six consecutive days of work, using my limited free time to catch up with friends and family thousands of miles away. Making new connections in a new city wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. I even started to wonder: Did I peak in college?' the Virginia man asked. Chintamneedi, a graduate of Chapman University, said that the mental transition from college to real world was harder than he expected. He added that his post was not meant to be a complaint. Instead, it was aimed at everyone struggling with the transition from college to corporate life. 'If you're also in your first year post-grad, and struggling to adjust, you are not alone. The feelings of doubt, disconnection, or disillusionment are more common than we think,' he wrote.
