College Life vs. the Working World

When students first leave college and get a job, they’re entering a whole new world. In general, college students have more freedom while employed professionals have more responsibilities. On the flip side, once you get a job you’ll have more independence, more money, and a whole new world to explore. “It’s a Wonderful (Student) Life” is a humorous infographic that looks at all of the ways college life differs from the working world. For example…

Sleep

College students on average get 8.3 hours of sleep per night.
Employed professionals get 7.7 hours of sleep per night.

Dress Code

College students can feel free to attend class in a t-shirt, sweatpants, and flip-flops.
Sloppy appearance is the number one characteristic employers associate with unprofessionalism.

Rush Hour

67% of four-year students live on campus so they can walk to class.
45.6 minutes is the average round-trip commute for the working professional.

Vacation Time

The average college student gets 22 weeks of vacation per year.
The average employee gets 2.5 weeks of vacation per year.

Money

65% of students worry about having enough money to make it through the week.
Average starting salary for college graduates: $48,661.

Down Time

Hours of leisure and sports the average student gets per day: 3.6
Hours of leisure and sports the average worker gets per day: 2.6

Playing Hooky

29% of college students report only showing up to class to take exams or to borrow notes and other materials from classmates.
29% of workers report playing hooky from the office at least once last year, calling in sick when they were well.

See the infographic below for a more colorful look at the statistics and differences between college life and the real world.