The first year out of college can be one of the most stressful, exciting and transforming years of a young adult’s life. There’s the rush that comes with reporting for your first day of work at a job that will hopefully launch your career — if you’re lucky enough to find one. Then there’s the wave of panic that washes over when you realize you’ll have to give up something — from going out for beers with friends to a dream of a nicer apartment — in order to afford your student loan payments, food, rent (and maybe to save for retirement?) on your entry-level salary.

And finally, you experience the crushing realization that you will never again be surrounded by your peers 24/7 just soaking in knowledge, and instead will have to spend the next 50 years of your life working.

We’ve decided to relive this tumultuous year vicariously through three students who ended their higher education journeys (at least for now) in the spring of 2015. Below they share what they’re up to a few months after walking out the classroom door. We plan to check in periodically to see how things have changed.

Mandeep Singh, 22, New York City

School and degree: Columbia University, urban studies major with a business concentration.

Current job status: For the summer, Singh is living at home in Queens and giving his dad, who works as a taxi driver, a few days off here and there by driving the cab periodically. He’s also petitioning to help get a Queens attorney, who has been a mentor to him over the years, on the ballot for City Council. In the fall, Singh will start a job at Dropbox, the San Francisco-based cloud computing company, where he’ll rotate between different divisions at the firm to figure out what type of role is the best fit.

Job search: Singh says he applied to at least 30 or 40 jobs, got interviews for about 10 or 15 and then that whittled down to two offers. He sent in applications to organizations ranging from nonprofits to consulting to tech firms. “Anything you can think of I applied to,” he said.

Part of the reason Singh sent out so many applications is because he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do. But much of the motivation stemmed from being a first-generation and low-income college student, Singh says.

“When you’re deciding your job and you have a family background that is not financially as stable as you want it to be there are sacrifices that you have to make,” Singh said, noting that he plans to send his parents money and help foot the bill for college for his younger sisters.

Singh’s background also meant he didn’t have access to as many networks through parents and family friends that could have expedited his job search. Sometimes he’d find out that a friend with a connection at a company where he had also applied for a job heard some news, even though Singh was still just hearing crickets.

“That’s part of the reason I applied for so many,” he said.

Student loans: Singh doesn’t have any student loans because his full financial need was met by Columbia.

Ultimate goal: Singh is still trying to figure out his long-term plans, but he knows the Dropbox job is a step in the right direction. He’ll get an inside look at the booming tech industry and also learn more traditional business skills like marketing.

“When I first got in (to Columbia) I had no idea what I was doing and a part of me still feels like I have no idea what I’m doing,” he said. Still, Singh said, Columbia taught him many of the skills necessary to succeed at work, like how to be articulate in front of a group and how to lead effectively.

“I’m definitely proud and happy to be in the position where I am,” he said.

“Real world” fears: Singh says he’s not sure how he’ll adjust to a technology industry that’s traditionally a lot more white and male than his friend group at Columbia. “I’m going from a relatively diverse place, to a place with a much more homogenous population,” he said. “Dropbox is a company that’s making great strides toward (increasing diversity) and is making changes that are needed.” (Editor’s note: In recent months, Dropbox launched an initiative to boost the share of women and minority employees working at the company.)

Like anyone moving across the country, Singh said he’ll miss his family. “We’re going to work out how many times I’m going to come home and I tell them I’m going to try to eventually move back to New York,” he said.

Finally, Singh said he’s apprehensive about managing his own money for the first time. “First-generation (college students) don’t always have the opportunity or privilege to learn how to navigate their finances,” particularly products like 401(k) accounts that typically only come with salaried jobs. And of course, “rent is ridiculous, so I might have to sell my kidney to live in San Francisco,” he said.

Steve Gerber, 32, Upland, Calif.

School and degree: Gerber was forced to leave an Ontario, Calif., campus of Everest, a school owned by Corinthian Colleges, one day short of completing his program in massage therapy when the for-profit college chain shut down earlier this year.

Current job status: Gerber is working full time as a manager for a retail store.

Job search: So far, Gerber said he’s “got some fairly promising leads” to work for some massage therapy practices.

Student loans: Gerber has about $10,000. Because his school closed before he got his degree, Gerber is eligible to have his government loans forgiven as along as he doesn’t transfer his credits elsewhere. After weeks of searching for an expert to give him a straight answer about the steps he should take, Gerber talked to a representative from his loan servicer, a conversation which ultimately convinced him to apply to have his loan discharged. Still, he’s wary.

“It’s been a fiasco trying to figure out what exactly I can do in the aftermath of the Everest experience,” he said. “There’s so many heads on this monster and I don’t know who to trust.”

Ultimate goal: “I just want to be a massage therapist,” Gerber said. He says he’s in the process of getting his license, even though he technically never finished his program. Gerber said that the licensing board he’s working with is familiar with the Corinthian fallout and is trying to help affected students sort out their options.

Post-schooling concerns: Gerber is cautiously optimistic he’ll land a job in his field and get his massage therapy license. Still, he’s nervous that at some point an employer may require him to finish his program — “I’m not willing to go back through that and go another $5,000 into debt,” he said.

DeVante Rollins, 22, Ann Arbor, Mich.

School and degree: University of Michigan, political science and Asian studies major

Current job status: Rollins is balancing his interests in politics and the creative world by splitting his time between the two. He works part time for two professors at Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy (a gig that will turn full-time in the fall). Rollins is also working on his own photo projects — styling models, picking locations, directing and photographing to recreate famous photo shoots.

Job search: Rollins initially had his sights set on a White House internship and he waited months to hear back that he didn’t get it. “Because it didn’t work out, it kind of threw me off a little bit to not have the next part of my life planned out because my life as always been planned out,” he said.

In the weeks since, Rollins says he’s become more comfortable with the “complete autonomy” in choosing what to do for the next phase of his life.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will eventually have to make a choice about what I have to do,” he said. “I feel like right now I can do whatever I want to do as long as I pursue it.”

Ultimate goal: When Rollins first arrived at Michigan he said he knew exactly what he wanted to be: the Mayor of Detroit. “I never thought once about what I would do in the interim,” he said.

Now he’s contemplating a whole host of ideas, including starting a night club, grocery delivery business or housecleaning service, continuing on his path of policy-oriented work or honing his skills as a fashion photographer.

“I have a lot of crazy ideas,” he said. “I’m hoping next year will be the least eventful year of my life and hopefully the year following will be very eventful.”

Student loans: Rollins has about $30,000 in student loans. He’s confident he’ll be able to manage the payments with the income from his various jobs.

Real world fears: Though he’s “ultra-calm” about the future right now, Rollins said he’s nervous things won’t turn out as rosy as he’s planned. But his ultimate worry is falling victim to boredom.

“I cannot be bored,” he said. “I never want it to be like I worked 9 to 5 today and I’m done. I need a little bit of excitement.”