Advice for Students: Start Planning Now for Life After College about skills that are experiencing
about skills that are experiencing a growing demand – these are the career paths of
At the end of every school year, the media is stuffed with advice for soon-to-be graduates
looking forward with excitement — and not a little fear – to setting out on their careers.
I’ve althinways felt that this was just a little bit too late – by the time June rolls around,
you’re competing with literally millions of recent grads, all frantic to find some kind of
handhold in this thing called “real life”.
No, the time to start thinking about life after graduation is now – no matter where you are
in your education process. The earlier you stop thinking about college as a break from
“real life” and start thinking about it as a stage of real life, the better. That doesn’t mean
you have to start sending out resumes the first day of your freshman year, but rather that
you should always be thinking about the arc you’re following in college and where it’s
likely to take you – and how you can shape it to take you where you’ll be happiest.
Lindsey Pollak, the author of Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You
Join the Real World, offers a ton of advice for job-seeking grads – and future job-seeking
grades – on her blog. Some of the more important tips she offers include:
1. Network.
College students, in my experience, suffer from an inferiority complex. They assume that
nobody on “the real world” would be interested in their thoughts, talents, or problems,
one consequence of which is that they do very little to reach out to people in fields they’re
interested in until they’re “finished”, which usually means when they’re actively looking
for work – and by then, it’s too late.
Start making connections as early as you can. Email people in fields you’re interested in,
even if only to say “I read your book and it really had an impact on me” or “I really like
what your company is doing with X”. Join professional organizations – most offer low-
priced student memberships – and attend conferences. Join or create groups on campus
devoted to topics that interest you.
In most cases, you’ll find that people are more than willing to lend a hand to a bright
student. It’s flattering to be recognized for what you’re accomplishing, no matter what
the source, and it feels good to know you’re helping someone set out on the right path.
There are exceptions, of course, but few enough that you can always move on to the next
person.
2. Do your research.
Visit and use the career services office on your campus.Virtually nobody else does, so
you’ll be received with open arms. Keep an eye out for unusual job titles, and research
them – maybe Corporate Happiness Officer (a real job title!) is something you’d be good
at? How about Vice President of Environmental Sustainability?
Look up companies that interest you and see where you might fit – there are thousands of
tasks that have to get done in a typical company regardless of whether they make tractor
parts or iPod accessories. Pay attention to media stories about new fields opening up, or
tomorrow.
3. Use your summers wisely.
A great internship or summer job can be a huge help, but there are other things you can
do in the summer, too. Start your own business, or create a website. Temp to get
experience working in a wide range of companies. Take summer courses through your
school’s adult extension, or at a local community college, to build up non-academic skills
like bookkeeping, business networking, leadership, or computer programming. Read
widely and wisely – forego your usual beach reading for recent publications in fields that
interest you. If you can afford it, travel – learn to adapt readily to strange and unusual
circumstances.
4. Craft your online persona.
In today’s world, one of the worst ways students damage their future careers is by sharing
too much of the wrong kind of information online. Assume that everything you post online
is going to be available to prospective employers, clients, or investors, all of whom
increasingly turn to the Internet to research potential employees or partners. Keep the
drunken stories either anonymous/pseudonymous, or marked as “private”, and be sure to
build out public-ready profiles, under your own name if at all possible.
5. Look at small companies.
Although going from college to Google might seem like a real coup, a small company
offers a lot of benefits early on in your career. At Google (or another mega-company)
you’ll be an insignificant fish in a huge sea, whereas small companies may well give you
the chance to shine. According to Pollak, small companies allow students:
 Opportunities to take on responsibility beyond your job description.
 Less strict policies about working hours and days off.
 The possibility of making a real difference in the company’s success.
 The ability to work closely with high-level people.
6. Pay attention!
Whether you end up at a big company or a little company, consider your summer jobs and
first jobs out of college as a training ground – an extension of your education. Listen more
than you talk, and learn as much as you can from the “old hands” – and from their critics.
“Give colleagues and clients the opportunity to share their advice, guidance and tricks of
the trade,” Pollak writes. Stay on the lookout for opportunities to grow your skills, by
taking on new responsibilities, joining projects, or getting yourself attached to the teams
of company visionaries.
7. Become a great writer.
No matter what field you hope to go into, and no matter what job you hope to have in
that field, writing skills will get you further than almost any other competency. “Written
communication skills are ESSENTIAL for most careers today,” writes Pollak. Look at every
written assignment as a chance to develop better writing and editing skills. Ask for
feedback from your professors. Take writing classes, either for credit or through adult
extension. Join a writing group, or form one. Read writing books (Stephen King’s On
Writing is a great one and highly readable). In short, do whatever you can to become a
better writer – you’ll be putting yourself two or three steps ahead of the rest of your
graduating class.
None of these things should be the only thing you do in college. Go to classes, of course,
but have fun, take adequate time to relax and blow off steam, take a risk or two, and
make friends. But make sure you spend at least a little bit of time – an hour every week or
so is plenty – to think about what you want to do when college is over. If you’re anything
like I was, and like most of my students are, you honestly have no idea what you want to
do when you graduate – so take some time now, with graduation still over the horizon, to
get some ideas and lay some groundwork, so you don’t join the ranks of terrified recent
grads groping blindly around the job market and grasping at the first thing that comes
along.
21 Things Nobody Tells You When You Graduate College
I have never been invited to give a commencement address at a college. This is
disappointing because, for the first time in my life, I own a sports coat that fits and a
belt that is not two-sided.
I might be considered too young, as I am only 39, despite the gray hair I’ve acquired
that prompted a TSA agent to recently proclaim, “You sure that’s you?” upon seeing
my dark-haired driver’s license.
But I have spent 17 years in the workforce. I’ve worked at big companies and small
ones. I’ve been promoted and fired. I’ve started my own business. I found and left
my dream job. I’ve learned a lot, mostly the wrong way (and would prefer you
didn’t). So before you throw your cap in the air — or at least before you stage an
Instagram photo of you throwing your cap in the air — allow me to share some
things nobody will tell you.
1. The real world is more fun than grumpy adults have ever told you.
Don’t listen to people in their 40s who act like the best part of your life ends the
minute you get your diploma. Is the real world all cotton candy and unicorn rides?
No. But sometimes, misery loves company and recruits it too. When you start a new
job there will inevitably be a group of people there who don’t like their job and don’t
like being an adult. Avoid these people like the plague. They’ve bought into the
cultural lie that a “job is just a job” and that you should only work for the weekend.
Nonsense. Your job can be meaningful. Your weekdays can matter.
1. One of your friends will be instantly successful.
They will move to New York or San Francisco and make finding a great job seem
easy. They will earn the kind of money that allows you to pay for your own HBOGo
pass instead of stealing your parents’. You will hate them at least a little bit because
watching their meteoric rise through the filtered window of social media will make
you feel like it will never happen for you. Don’t get caught in the trap of comparison.
1. Your first job might not involve your major in a major way.
That’s only a minor problem though. You have 40 years to reunite your job with your
major — or to find out your major may not have major bearing on what you do in
life.
1. Your 20s are lonelier than you think they’ll be.
They’re glamorized in culture, presented as the time of your life. A s you bingewatch
an entire season of House of Cards on Netflix, you will wonder, Is every other person
my age at an amazing party right now that I didn’t know about? They’re not. The
truth is, when you leave college, you leave the tightest, largest concent ration of
people who are your age. Suddenly, you’re scattered around the country and
community won’t involve walking out onto the quad. You’ll have to fight for it.
That’s not failure, that’s reality. Seek it out. It’s not easy to make friends as an adult
but it’s definitely possible if you’ll be brave.
1. Being an adult comes with an obscene amount of paperwork.
Stay on top of it. Taxes, 401K enrollment, healthcare, apartment contracts… Prepare
to be awash in forms that make the Apple iTunes agreement seem pleasant. Don’t
ignore the paperwork. I once did and assumed the company I worked for would
handle a healthcare issue I had. (I thought I had kidney stones; turns out it was just
an ultimate Frisbee injury. What an adult I was!) I threw the paperwork in the trash. I
didn’t think anything of it until years later when a collection agency came after me
for $81 and my credit was garbage.
1. Your generation gets unfairly labeled for entitlement. Don’t accept that.
Be humble at work. Show up with questions and a willingness to learn. Don’t act like
you know everything already. You don’t, but you know what? Neither do we. People
my age and the generations older than I am are a little afraid of you sometimes.
We’re scared of the technologies you might know about that we’ve never even
heard of. We don’t want to look dumb when we ask, “What is YikYak?” The truth is,
we need you, just like you need us.
1. Pay attention in meetings.
Roughly 93% of your job depends on your ability to do this. You might have been
able to tune out in a class of 400 people for an hour but if you try that in a meeting
at work, people are going to notice. Don’t text under the table with your phone
either. We can see you.
1. Treat email like it matters.
The other 7% of your job will be managing email. I sure wish it wasn’t because I hate
email. (In fact, if you want to give me feedback about this article, just tweet me
@JonAcuff instead. Feel free to say, “@JonAcuff your commencement tips are
awesome/suck” depending on how you think it’s going.) You have to communicate
clearly in your emails. You need to respond to your managers and coworkers quickly.
You need to stay out of stupid passive-aggressive traps, like CCing someone’s
superior, as a veiled threat. Work your inbox like it’s your job. Because it is.
1. Take risks.
You don’t have mortgages or kids or other responsibilities yet. Want to go abroad
for a year and make a micro-salary teaching English? Want to start a business
specializing in a heritage breed of rabbits for hipsters who are tired of suburban
chickens already? Go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? You try it for a year, it
fails and now you’re 23. You’ve got the rest of your life to play it safe.
1. Don’t put off your college loans.
The 9,000-pound elephant/gorilla/large scary animal in the corner is your student
loans. Sallie Mae doesn’t mess around. Ignoring that you owe money doesn’t make
the loans go away. Paying them back does.
1. Hold your money with an open hand.
Money is a something that pretends to be an Everything. It’s perfectly fine to take a
job for a few years just to pay the bills and get by. There’s nobility in that. As your
career progresses though, be careful that you don’t chase money at the exclusion of
everything else. The amount of cash that will make you perfectly happy is always a
“little more.” It’s a never-ending chase that has hollowed out many a 40-year-old.
1. If you move home, make sure you bring an exit strategy with you.
Pay rent to your parents. Do your own laundry. Buy your own food. Have a deadline
for how long you’re going to stay there. Home is comfortable but the distance
between comfortable and complacent is surprisingly short. Just because you’re
sleeping in the same room you had in middle school doesn’t mean you have to act
like an adolescent. And if anyone tries to make you feel ashamed to be living at
home with your parents, don’t listen to them.
1. Don’t spend all your time with idiots and then wonder why it’s hard to
meet someone great to date.
If you moved to the desert and then told me the kayaking there is terrible, I would
agree. Then I’d ask why you expected sand dunes to offer optimal water sports.
“Become the kind of person you want to be with” might be clichéd advice best
suited to Hallmark cards, but “Go where the people you want to be like are” isn’t.
1. Don’t ask to work from home the first week of your new job.
Though more companies are offering that option, it’s still a privilege, not a right.
1. Jump into the wild west of side jobs.
The days of having the same job for 40 years and then getting a gold watch when
you retire are over. Hooray! Your job won’t be limited or defined by geography. The
Internet has leveled the playing field. Anyone can connect with anyone. You don’t
need a physical storefront or even a physical product to start a business. Your ability
to make money will only be limited by your ability to hustle.
 1. Figure out which part of your career needs the most work.
The best careers and biggest adventures are determined by our ability to invest in
four distinct things: Relationships, Skills, Character and Hustle.
1. Don’t become a dinosaur.
Just because your formal education might have ended doesn’t mean you should stop
learning. If you don’t keep old skills sharp and continue learning new on es your
career will become obsolete.
1. Don’t burn many bridges.
Every industry is smaller than you think. Do your best to leave as many relationships
intact at every job you have. Chances are, you’ll work with a lot of the same people
again during your career.
19. Put your phone down when you’re talking to someone.
Nothing says “this job doesn’t matter to me” like staring into your phone when
you’re having a face-to-face conversation with a co-worker. Want a simple way to
build the kind of character that will serve you for a lifetime? Ignore your phone
instead of the people you’re with.
Remember, it’s all an audition.
I am one of seven people in America who have not seen the musical “Hamilton.”
Despite that fact, I do know a thing or two about the audition process. That’s
because full-time jobs are getting harder to find as more companies lean on the
contract model. They’ll hire you on a part-time basis or even as a full-time
contractor, but won’t jump into a long-term relationship without testing you out
first. That’s not failure, that’s the future. Treat it like an audition. You might feel like
just an understudy stuck backstage, but you’re not. You’re proving to that company
you have what it takes to earn a leading role. Don’t have a “full time job or nothing ”
attitude when it comes to your job search. Today’s job market demands flexibility,
hustle and occasionally tap dancing.
Drake was right.
You are going to start at the bottom. That’s OK. Put your pride aside and recognize
this as a starting point. This isn’t your final job, it’s your first job. You’ve got one foot
on the ladder and now you get to climb it. Give yourself time and be patient.
Welcome to the real world, where people who are almost 40 reference Drake in a
thinly veiled attempt to seem hip. I’m not. I need you to teach me about what’s
coming next. So does everyone else.
Congratulations on finishing college.
Congratulations on joining the real world.
We’ve been waiting for you.
So You’ve Graduated College… What’s Next for You? Eight Critical Issues Facing New
Grads
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by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
Graduating from college is a major milestone. Congratulations on the achievement. So,
what’s next for you after college? What does your future hold? Some students see college
as a major goal, when in reality it is simply a stepping stone to other future life
achievements. Part of the adventure is really figuring out who you are and what you
value. For typical twenty-somethings, graduating from college is the final move (or leap)
into adulthood.
So what’s next for you after college? Here’s a list of the eight critical issues you need to deal
with as you move onward with your life in your transition from college to career.
Your Next Life Decision: Career A or Career B
Did you know that even many college grads still aren’t sure what they specifically want to
do in their careers? Even if you are sure, guess what? Career experts predict the average
person will switch careers (not jobs) four to five times over his or her lifetime.
Where do you go from here? How about finding your life’s passion — or at least your
current life passion. Take our Workplace Values Assessment and see about the values you
cherish most.
If you majored in a subject that you loved, but one that you have no idea what to do with
in terms of a career — or you simply have no real career focus — head over to our Career
Exploration section, where you’ll find useful tools and resources to help you with career
choices and direction.
Your Next Career Step: Job or Graduate School
For some of you, the career you want to pursue requires a graduate degree; others may
take the plunge into graduate studies to avoid a bad job market — or to just avoid a job.
If you are job-hunting, the most important piece of advice is for you to develop a job-
search strategy. You will not be successful just “winging it.” Take a spin on our free Job
Search 101tutorial. It lists the 10 things you need to know and do to land your first job —
designed for college students and recent college grads.
If you’re thinking graduate school, you should head over to our great collection
of Graduate School Resources. You’ll discover articles, resources, and information on
finding grad programs, graduate placement exams, criteria for choosing grad programs,
and much more.
Finally, you can find lots of other job and grad school advice in this collection of articles
written especially for you: College Student/Entry-Level Job-Seeker Articles.
Your Next Place to Live: Apartment or Living with Mom and Dad
A recent graduate who had planned to move into an apartment far from home upon
graduation just changed his plans — and is now moving back home on a trial basis in what
he refers to as a “nightmare.”
Where will you live upon graduation?
Living at home — assuming you still can — certainly has some advantages: low (or no)
rent, home-cooked meals, laundry service, and all utilities included for free. The downside?
They’re your family, which means even though you are now an adult, your folks and
siblings are still going to treat you the same way. Another recent grad talks about her
folks trying to set rules about curfews and dating. Can you imagine bringing a date back to
your parent’s house for the evening? For some short advice on the subject, read: 10 Tips
for Moving Back In with Your Parents After College.
Living in an apartment, either by yourself or with some roommates, certainly has its
advantages: freedom to do what you want, privacy (up to a point), and a sense you are
really an adult because you are living on your own. The downside? Mainly a lot of
payments — rent, phone, cable, utilities (unless included in rent) — plus, you’ll need to do
your own cooking and laundry. If you choose apartment living, you’ll want to be sure to
plan carefully, deciding on where you want to live, the kinds of amenities you want (tennis
courts, laundry facilities, clubhouse, etc.), how much you can afford to pay per month, the
age of residents in the complex, and detailed information about leases and upfront costs
(usually first and last month’s rent, plus a security deposit). Find some great apartment
living resources in this section from About.com: Apartment Living.
Your Next Home Town: Staying Nearby or Moving Away
Regardless of whether you move back with your parents, stay nearby, or move across the
country, you’ll need to take care of some important issues.
First, you’ll need to officially change your address with credit card companies, student
loan providers, magazines, etc. You’ll also need to change (or get a new) driver’s license,
car registration, and voter registration.
Second, if where you’re living is new to you, you’ll want to locate banks or credit unions,
public transportation, post offices, grocery stores, malls, movie theatres, restaurants,
places of worship, gas stations, etc. Get some maps (try the local Chamber of Commerce
or realtor… or go online to Google Maps or MapQuest.com) and become familiar with
your new neighborhood and surrounding areas.
Third, you’ll probably want to subscribe to the local newspaper, consider joining one or
more community or civic organizations (both for volunteering and for networking), find
your local alumni association club, and one or more professional organizations.
For help with relocation, check out these Job-Seeker Relocation Resources. And if you
don’t have a job yet, definitely read our article, New City, New Job: How to Conduct a
Long-Distance Job Search.
Your Next Budgeting Issue: New Car or Paying Off Student Loans/Credit Cards
The most important lessons here are that your paycheck will always be smaller than you
think it will be AND you will always have more expenses than you think you do.
If you’ve never had to plan a budget, now may be the time to do so. Start with your net
income — your “take home” pay — the money left over after taxes, social security, etc.
are deducted from your gross pay. Next look at essential bills: rent, utilities (electricity and
water), telephone, cell phone, transportation, and food. Now add credit card payments,
student loan payments, and any other loan payments. What you have left is your
discretionary income, which you can use for savings, investing, and entertaining.
Nellie Mae, a leading national provider of higher education loans, reports that the average
student loan debt load of college graduates is $30,000 — and quite higher for grad
students. They also report that many college grads leave college with fairly high credit
card debt. Other sources report recent college grads as living beyond their means.
Your Next Finance Goals: Spending Now or Investing for the Future
We baby boomers are just now learning the value of investing for the future — and
wishing we had done so right out of college. The earlier you start putting money aside for
retirement, the sooner you’ll be able to retire — or the more money you’ll have in
retirement.
Your Next Concern: Dealing with Success or Failure
And now back to your career. Just as first impressions are critical with job-hunting, your
first days on the job are important in establishing a reputation for yourself with your boss
and co-workers. And as time goes on, you’ll want to quickly prepare yourself for dealing
with office politics, for dealing with good and bad bosses, and for marketing yourself
within the organization. You should also consider finding a mentor within the company —
and perhaps one outside the company.
Ready for a lesson? Read our article, Moving Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting
Yourself Promoted.

But it’s not just retirement savings that’s important. You need to be saving and investing Finally, remember that a job is only a job. You may succeed wildly, or you may have
for future major purchases, such as cars and houses. troubles. Enjoy the good times and try not and fret about the bad. All of us will change
jobs and careers multiple times — and most of us will be fired/downsized/rightsized at
least once in our lives.
Your employer may have some retirement and investing options, such as 401Ks and a
stock purchase plan, but you should also look at the many options available to you.
Read Investing for Beginners, from About.com. See also: Retirement Planning from The
Motley Fool.

Your Next Insurance Issue: Health, Auto, Life, Apartment or Else

Now that you’re out on your own, you have to deal with the insurance issue. There is no
question that there are advantages to different types of insurance; however, be sure you
are paying only for the insurance you require.

Most employers offer health and life insurance — and most experts recommend taking
advantage of the prices you can get from group rates through your employer. And under
flex plans, the costs are deducted from your paycheck before taxes, saving you more
money.

And, of course, if you have a car, you’ve been paying insurance (or someone has), and
you’ll need to continue to do so. But what about apartment/renters insurance? Apartment
insurance policies protect the contents of your apartment should something go wrong.
It’s usually pretty cheap and often a wise investment.

Check out this pdf: Health Insurance 101: A Step-by-Step Guide for College Students and
Recent Grads.