Blasphemy.

I've been out of college for about a year now. I moved to a different city, I now work in a kitchen where the majority of the people I work with haven't stuck with much education.

Since i've been out of college, I find myself becoming.. less intelligent due to the people I hang out with and that I haven't really challenged my brain in the past year.

I am in a slump.

Has this happened to anybody else right after they left school? How did you cope with it? For the older folk, how does it feel being out of school for such a long time?

Cheers

Walking Shadow

Umm, hate to break this to you, but it's not really possible to become less intelligent simply because of the people around you, unless you are brainwashed or suffer a severe head trauma that results in some type of retrograde amnesia.

Now, perhaps what you meant to say is that you feel like you're less well-informed because of the people around you. That could very well be the case, but that's hardly the fault of those around you, quite the contrary, the onus is on you to make yourself a more well-informed person.

As far as feeling like I was less well-informed after I got out of college, not really, if anything I had more time to watch the news and read newspapers etc, 'cause i didn't have to worry about going to class/studying.

Jetée

I had things to say as well, but nothing I say now can compare to the detailed yet concise advice given here by my former.

Challenge yourself...

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

World's King

Make new friends.


Read the paper.


Watch the news.

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heavy is the head that wears the crown

Menoman

smoke less pot.

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noodlebee

Really what is happening is that you are just pushing the things you don't need to the back of your brain. You did not push them outside of your brian. If you review the things you learnt in school, you will get the returning lightbulb. The only problem is that the lightbulb may come a bit slower, but still faster than the very first time you learnt these things.

If you want to always have constant clear memory, it is best to review textbooks at least every week. Do exercises like old mathematics homework or engineering projects. You can bring classic literature to work so you can read during breaks, like Tolstoy or Eco.

Right now, I work part time in a call centre. Later I want another full time job, so total two jobs. I take online courses from university and technical college and also read other unrelated topics by borrowing and buying secondhand books. This is very cheap to learn more.

The university and community colleges in your city will also organise seminars, debates and clubs. Even if you cannot participate actively because they ask for sign up, you can go attend and listen.

Shauk

I gotta dismiss most of the above posts.

basically, humans have a social chameleon disorder sometimes. I mean "culture" rubs off on people.

Did you invent "lol" or "roflmao"? if you ever do online gaming, you may pick up thier attitude and lingo based on the game, now.

"what? shauk? how the hell do acronyms apply to this?"

well, it was increasingly frustrating to me that when I first came out of school I typed very well, I had almost perfect grammar. But when I went to forums, chatrooms and so on, and became a regular at these locations, in conjunction with online gaming, I noticed my typing skills took a subconcious hit. Without even trying, my punctuation slacked, my capitalization was spotty at best (and still is), acronyms started creeping their way into my sentences, my spelling, fortunately remained in tact (thank god for the "grammar nazis" who strangely enough, rarely correct grammar, and jump on your spelling, while misspelling something in the process as well, which makes it funny)


ANYWAYS, the same thing happened with me in real life, I went from being around students, to being around drunks (wait, aren't those one and the same?! hah!) and you know, when your peers are operating below capacity, your chameleon form takes hold without your permission. Its just mirroring, if you can get along with someone, you will likely mirror them without realizing it, its good and bad. We're all a reflection of our surroundings, our upbringing, sponges.

so, my suggestion is to challenge yourself, put those skills to use, get a challenging job that uses those skills you learned, find other people with similar backgrounds and interests. (thats easier said than done though)

anyways, thats my 2 cents.

rockzilla

If you have a college education, how did you wind up working in a kitchen?

Ourcrazymodern?

Every (person) is my superior in that I may learn from (them).

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BE JUST AND FEAR NOT

Nimetic

Ahh.. I worked at a pool once. I reckoned that for every year spent watching people swim back and forth, a persons IQ drops by 5 points.

You could try something that I did during a period of unemployment once - work on your chess. Or learn a language. Do something which pushes your brain (the chess was ok because I'd check my ability vs a computer).

Blasphemy.

I took music in college for a year. Took a year off to move to a city, and tour with my band.

Charlatan

You are a musician. What happens if you stop playing your instrument for a year? You get a little rusty, no?

With a little practice it comes back.

School is the same. when I was in school, I could quote reams of authors and cite all kinds of sources. I was immersed in this practice everyday.

Since leaving school, I have done a number of different things. Some of which I am now very proficient (ask me about contracts for film and television rights and I can babble for quite some time). I am immersed in this stuff daily.

If you want to keep up the skills you picked up in school. You have to practice. If the kitchen job and your co-workers aren't stimulating that part of your brain, you need to start doing something that will (get a new job, take some classes, read more books, write essays for fun, whatever).

It's that simple.

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