A big congrats to everyone who graduated from college last weekend! This is such an exciting, scary, and amazing time in your life. It’s a time to dream, plan, work hard, and experience everything the world has to offer. To get you going in the right direction, here are 10 pearls of wisdom (do the kids still say that?) that we wish we knew when we had graduated college.
Top Ten Tips For College Graduates
1. Stop and really enjoy this moment. All too often, people don’t take time to really savor their accomplishments. You’ve worked hard for years to reach this milestone. Take time to let it all soak in!
2. Be sure to say thank you. It may seem old fashioned, but do take the time to send out thank you notes to people who have sent you gifts and/or helped you land your first job, or internship. It matters.
3. Study up about personal finance and never stop learning about it. Personal finance is about more than just balancing your checkbook. Read up about your employers 401k (also find out what that is), learn about how credit works before opening up a credit card, and learn how to make a budget that you can stick with. Psstt… check out this link for easy to use, FREE budget spreadsheets.
4. Be honest about what you do and don’t want to do. Working a corporate job, freelancing, traveling, writing a blog, going vegan, your secret love of 80’s pop ballads… Now’s the time to really be honest with yourself. What are you passionate about? What scares you? What job will you hate in 10 years? What job will you love in 10 years? Be brutal. Be real.
5. Take on new hobbies or jobs. Never stop learning. If you have free time, start working part-time or volunteering in an industry you’ve always wanted to learn more about. One of the best ways to learn is to immerse yourself in the field. This is also a great way to network!
6.Study this diagram and find your middle
7. Learn to cook. Cooking is an essential life skill and it’s also FUN! Start slow and teach yourself how to whip up a few of your favorite meals. Allow yourself the space to mess up and have Pinterest fails. When you get comfortable, try new recipes and experiment with ingredients. Cooking. It’s a game changer.
8. Clean up your social media profile. Future employers are going to look at all of your social media profiles (Hello, Instagram!). Be sure to edit anything you wouldn’t want them to see (inappropriate language, party pictures, etc.).
9. Be mindful of your environmental impact. There’s a lot you can do to lessen your carbon footprint. Recycle, shop with cloth bags, furnish your place with used furniture, buy vintage clothes, turn the water off when you brush your teeth, the list goes on.
10. Live within your means. If you find yourself constantly in a situation where you have to use a credit card or there’s no money left in your account at the end of the month, than you are not living within your means. Learn how to make a budget and stick to it!
Congrats again new grads!
Top Ten Tuesday is powered by
