Post-Graduation Life Advice

Congratulations to all of this year grads! You’ve worked so hard to be where you are right now and you’re probably feeling lost. Here’s some words of wisdom to help you take the next step! As an intern that has yet to graduate college, I needed some assistance with this topic. I crowd sourced suggestions from the BroBasket team and some friends and came up with some great advice for life after college. There was a wide range of topics brought up so I broke it down for you guys

Financial Planning     

This topic seemed to be discussed the most when I was asking for suggestions. From learning what the heck a 401k is, to learning how to do your taxes, financial planning is an essential key to success in the adult world. I’ve learned the hard way (approximately 37 times) that having a savings account for emergencies is very important. You never know if your car is going to break down or if you’re going to have to take your dog to the vet. As you get older, those emergencies become even more critical. Another great point that was mentioned a few times was saving for retirement. If your company offers 401k benefits it’s never too early to start! This goes along with saving. The earlier you create this habit the better. Finding a company that offers benefits right out of college can be hard but it is possible and it’s a great way to start your independence. Also take a money management course. I know you just finished school and the last thing you want to do is take another class but you won’t regret it. You will take these skills with you the rest of your life…or at least I’ve been told. This is on my to do list!

Self Love

This was my favorite topic because college graduate or not, everyone can relate to this one. Whether you’re graduating college, moving to a new city, or starting your career, this is a new chapter in your life. It doesn’t matter what age you are, you are constantly changing. When starting a new chapter it is important to keep up your self love and confidence. Everyone falls down their first couple of tries and it’s important not to get discouraged. What I’ve learned from living in 3 different cities in the past 3 years is that you have to find out what you don’t want before you find what you do want. It didn’t make me a failure because I moved away from each city so soon, it made me learn more about myself. Finding a job, and most importantly a job you love, will be the hardest struggle you will face. This isn’t meant to discourage you though. You will have fun applying for jobs, interviewing, and most of all getting your first job offer. Confidence is key. As long as you hold that confidence throughout the whole process you will succeed. Rejection is inevitable in life and a lot of people struggle with it. Whether it’s a bad break up or you didn’t get the job you wanted, it always hits your pride. Once you accept that rejection is inevitable and everything happens for a reason, you’ll heal faster. But easier said than done, right?! Lastly my personal advice that I’ve always tried to live by: don’t take life to seriously. Make a joke about everything! Make fun of yourself because it shows true confidence. Even if it’s the most morbidly inappropriate setting, just laugh! Tragedies strike all the time but if you just remind yourself of the good days and that there are more to come, you will carry happiness throughout your life.

Goal Setting

It sounds cliche but listen up because I received some great advice. Everyone has different strategies for goal setting and you’ve probably been doing it since you were a kid…and you’ve most likely changed your goals a million times like me. You will want to focus on personal, professional, and finacial goals. Ask yourself, what are my short term goals? Then jump to the bigger picture and ask yourself where you see yourself in 10 years from now. Everyone is different but I like to write these out in the present tense as if I am writing a journal entry about what my life looks like. You might write your goals out and forget about that piece of paper and find it years later to realize you acheived those goals. Having a plan will help you in every aspect of life, but don’t stress if it goes in a different direction a few times. As long as you are working towards something, whether it’s big or small, you’re on the right track.

Opportunities

You will have many opportunities in life to do many amazing things. According to many people I’ve talked to, take them. It’s not likely that you will be given many opportunities to travel throughout life. Depending on your career, traveling for fun isn’t easy. If you are able to do it now, do it! If you’ve been wanting to explore and live somewhere new, do it! I highly recommend venturing out of your hometown and living somewhere where you know no one. Aside from location, keeping your connections is very important. keep in touch with your colleagues and professors. You never know what kind of opportunities might come up. Build a network for yourself and surround yourself with successful people that push you to succeed with them. Well there you go, now you’re ready to go kick some ass in life! Go have a beer and celebrate a new chapter in life! -Kyla from The BroBasket