Dear Recent College Grad, you’re probably thinking that the 4 years of long sleepless nights, endless procrastinating, and finessing papers was worth it! As you pack your things to head back home or move to a new city for work. There’s a few things you should know about adulting! Realize that the transition of being in school 24/7 to working or job hunting will be confusing and stressful. Luckily, us not so recent college grads are here to provide you with some advice and mistakes to not make. So, read on in this open letter to recent college grads for some tips!
Sallie Mae does not play any games when it comes to missing a payment! She will creep up and take your money without you knowing. Paying back your student loans on time is important. Your credit score will be fucked, if you don’t pay your monthly statement! It’s important to have credit because it shows that you can pay for car, house and able to take out more loans (Please don’t play yourself by getting more loans). Use this period to work a few jobs to have a set amount ready to make payments for the first 5 months of repayment. If your parents are nice enough to pay your loans, thank them and SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Family and friends will tell you, “It’s only two years! Two years isn’t a long time.” It’s your life so you make the rules. I personally recommend grad school, if your career requires it or to boost your salary. Yes, education is very important and your diploma will never go ghost or break up with you. Grad school isn’t for everyone. If getting a masters is a backup plan after struggling to find a job, go for it! It’s never bad to educate yourself. Most importantly, if a family member is willing to pay for your grad school, PLEASE TAKE THE OFFER! We don’t need Sallie Mae fucking up our credit for a few more years.
Depending on your career choice, don’t expect a large salary with an entry level job. It’s important to save money because life will hit you when it’s least expected. We all want that new pair of Balenciaga boots, but the bills need to be paid and the fridge needs to have actual food. Easy Mac and Hot Pockets aren’t actual meals. Living below your means will help you value money. Social media has caused us to think that having materialistic items will make us happier. Some materialistic items cost more than our rent, utilities and paycheck combined. Social media has given us the facade of living lavish is the best way to live. Living a lavish lifestyle requires you to have money. That means you better delete Postmates and start investing and filling up your savings account! This is one of the most important parts of my letter to recent college grads.
If you have the expenses and time to travel, take a trip outside of the country. Whether it’s revisiting an area you studied abroad or visiting classmates from another country, it’s always good to be in a different setting and environment. Traveling will expose you to different culture, languages and food. Most importantly, you’ll have plenty of stories to impress your friends and Tinder matches. If you’re tight on money and work experience, try working as an English teacher in another country. Many people have traveled to countries like South Korea, India, and Japan to be elementary and high school english teachers. This give you the opportunity to make money, fill up your resume and learn about a different culture. This is another one of the most important parts of my letter to recent college grads.
Life will never be perfect, you can have a wonderful career and an amazing relationship but have a terrible group of friends. We go through certain struggles to teach us a lesson. We’re given the choice to learn or reject that lesson. Please realize that everything happens for a specific reason. If you’re only getting acceptance offers from internships especially if it’s unpaid, it will make you grateful when the opportunity of a full time paying job pops up. Sometimes you have to do free work, it’s an initiation process for many careers. You’re being paid with knowledge and potential CONNECTIONS!
Don’t stress out to be successful by the age of 25. Your 20s should be all about hustling and figuring out who you really are. Beyonce and Oprah took years of working their asses off to be where they are today. Work on your reality while working towards your dream. There are 24 hours in a day, it’s your choice to take advantage of those hours.
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