Recently graduated college student. Congratulations Nick! Keep up the joie de vivre
As to the tattoo debate, I tend to be strongly opposed. Someone close to me got one and it was a huge regret of his for most of his life.
Not all tattoos are equal, and the cultural context in which you get them matters to a degree. Let's take the example of a tatoo arm sleeve. Here are some negatives, as many see it:
(1.) Changing your outward appearance, for all to see, will affect the way others percieve you. Similar to blue or pink hair, something like a tattoo arm sleeve attracts attention. People may view you negatively because of the "LOOK AT ME!!" perception associated with tattoos. Why else would you get one so visible?
(2.) Tattoos are permanent. Permanently changing your body for non-functional purposes is a decision that you should not take lightly. Deciding to permanently alter your body for artistic or emotional purposes, particularly when young (under the age of 24 let's say), is seen as arrogant. You still have a lot of growing up to do, yet you've decided you already know yourself well enough that you are going to permanently alter your appearance for all to see.
(3.) You have to put in effort to get a tattoo, and spend money on it. It is not something that just happens to you and then you roll with it. Since the decision is (the vast majority of the time) made by the person posessing the tattoo, onlookers can reasonably draw some incomplete (though valuable) estimations on a person's judgement based off of the presence of a tattoo. It isn't like race, or scars, or burns on the skin.
(4.) If you are content with yourself, why do you feel the need to (non-functionally) change your body to such a degree?
(5.) Many people think the natural human form looks better without tattoos. Even artistic graffitti usually makes a property look worse than if there was no graffitti to begin with. Rarely, there can even be health risks associated with getting a tattoo.
Because of these reasons, and more, going through the trouble of obtaining a tattoo is seen by many as an extremely poor life decision. Additionally, a visible one like an arm sleeve tends to reveal a deep level of insecurity.
Do whatever you want. But if you expect not to be asked about your visible tattoo, you really are more out of touch than you realize.
FInally, I would say that there are much worse things than a tattoo. You can love a person but at the same time greatly dissaprove of some of their decisions.
Best wishes. Nick!