10 Tips: The Ex-Seminarian’s Survival Guide

1.  Go ahead, adjust your spirituality. I left seminary a little over a decade ago. I still struggle with feeling spiritually inferior for not keeping the Liturgy of the Hours. Beautiful though it is, it’s not for everyone, and that’s okay. When you leave seminary, you will probably notice the rigidness of your schedule dropping away. A consistent schedule is good for the spiritual life, but no one expects you to keep the same schedule you had before when your lifestyle has undergone a major change. Communal prayer will likely also fall by the wayside as you continue your journey. Make sure to hold yourself accountable to prayer, which is a lot easier to put off when you’re praying by yourself.
2. Keep discerning. You discerned out of seminary. That doesn’t guarantee you’re called to marriage. The discernment skills you honed in seminary will come in handy helping you figure out if you’re called to the sacrament of matrimony, a single life, or some other vocation, like monastic brotherhood.
3. Enjoy the food on the outside. To anyone who has attended a seminary, this one really needs no explanation. Boys, you never have to eat mystery meat again!
4. Take a transitional year. It takes some adjusting to life in secular society. That’s okay. The year after seminary, it was too late for me to apply to many places for the following fall, so I enrolled in my local state college, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and by God’s providence, made many life-long friends and a smooth transition into a vibrantly Catholic lay lifestyle.
5. Don’t fall back on the diaconate. I know the temptation. You didn’t feel called to the priesthood, but you still have a sense of obligation to join the clergy. Maybe you did feel called to the priesthood, fled that vocation, and are trying to compromise with God by seeking the diaconate. I bet you’re even telling people that you’ll probably be a deacon someday. Well, stop it! Whatever the case, it’s unwise to rush headlong into a different path. Slow down. Take your time. Let your new vocational discernment, whatever it may be, speak for itself without reference to your past discernment.
6. Be prepared to feel like an old soul. My sophomore year of college, I was only 19 years old. After telling a few people I had transferred from seminary, it was generally assumed by my new circle of friends that I was in my mid-20′s. Most of the seminarians they knew were about that age, so it made sense. I also had acquired a considerable amount of learning, pastoral wisdom, and maturity during my brief time in formation, so I quickly became respected and sought after for advice. It’s okay to use your training to help the people around you. Who knows? Maybe God put you in the seminary to prepare you for just that kind of experience, opening the door to a career of helping others.
7. Continue attending daily Mass, as much as possible. Daily Mass is a huge advantage for seminarians. I remember some of my brother seminarians occasionally skipping (and getting in quite the heap of trouble), but I never understood why you would skip an hour with God. Mass is the most powerful prayer in the world and a font of untold graces. You’re in the habit, so keep it up.
8. Celebrate! Yay! You know what your vocation is not! That’s one more door closed in your discernment. It’s a cause for celebration. The day I left seminary, I walked from the chancery in Omaha to the local Fuddrucker’s and treated myself to an ostrich burger. The memory is as sweet as the aftertaste.
9. Share your experiences. Didn’t like something the seminary did or taught? Tell your Vocation Director. Had an awesome experience? Tell your Vocation Director and anyone who will listen. Consider a little mentoring of prospective seminarians, let them know what seminary is like, and encourage them to discern their call. A lot of men feel a call to the priesthood, but never seriously look into it because they are intimidated about the idea of seminary. You may not have been called, but you can help God call others.
10. Be a saint. Pray. Fast. Practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Serve the Church. Whatever your vocation, you are called to be a saint. Never forget that. Source:  http://truthandcharity.net/10-tips-the-ex-seminarians-survival-guide/