With Commencement quickly approaching, soon-graduating seniors have been scrambling to become more familiar with the city outside of the Morningside Heights bubble. Whether you’re finally taking a train that isn’t the 1 or you’ve recently realized that Long Island isn’t actually a NYC borough, seniors are seeking advice on how to survive post-grad. Jim Martin, class of 2025, offered his wisdom when he recently spoke to The Federalist about his new career and life journey beyond the gates of Columbia University.
“It’s a scary world out there,” Martin admitted. He detailed how, on his first day of work, he stood outside of his office’s front doors searching for an ID scanner until he realized the doors were actually unlocked and open to just anyone. Even more shocking was his experience in not having to leave his driver’s license with the security guards at the front desk. “They, like, trust you out there. I’m not used to that,” Martin confided.
Martin also described his experience at a heated floor meeting. “My boss was talking about the latest quartile and he said something that didn’t seem right. I raised my hand and said, ‘Hey, I don’t agree with that,’ and I was just waiting to get doxxed or sent to a disciplinary meeting with admin. None of that happened. My boss even said he appreciated that I voiced a different point of view.” Martin appeared bewildered. “Imagine Shafik, Armstrong, Shipman, or Rosenbury saying that?”
Martin’s new experiences also expand out of the office. Claiming that he “didn’t know there was a big park in the middle of Manhattan,” Martin was shocked that there were no green or red flags indicating whether a field could be sat on, and he reports that scaffolding, bleachers, and tents blocking walkways and land are scarcely seen. Unfortunately, amid this excitement of discovering what lies beyond the Columbia experience, Martin admitted that he still looks for glimpses of Captain Bayonne around every trashcan he sees.
