So I Graduated...Now What?

I was dumbfounded when I graduated from college. I seriously didn't have a clue what to do. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to be, but that was just it: a vague idea. So I went to grad school. But before I knew it, graduation was looming before me again, and I had to make a game plan.

I won't lie. I didn't do any of these when I first graduated. (Well, the job. I did have a job.) And my first six months would have been more...everything! More comfortable, more active, more fun, less lonely-you get the picture. So without further ado, here are five tips for the new college graduate.

1. Get a job. Duh. But the sad truth of the matter is that that's not a 'duh' statement for some. I had a friend who just didn't do...anything...after we graduated. And he was frustrated that he was too broke to do anything with the rest of us working folks.

Of course, hopefully your job search is going on while you're in school, and, since this article's focus is on life after college, I'm not going to elaborate on that. But I do have a couple of things to say about your job. First of all, you might feel like you're extremely overqualified for it. You're just going to have to suck it up. The job market is competitive, and employers want people with experience. Your "first" job is merely a means to do get it. Face it. You're not going to come out of school running the joint. (I had a friend who thought that. Needless to say, he's still unemployed.) Second, if you plan on earning your MBA, you may have to keep at it for a couple of years. It is now becoming quite difficult to get into business school without any post baccalaureate work experience. But one plus in the situation is that they might pay for your education for you!

2. Join your alumni association. Membership can be automatic (and free) upon graduation, but for most, you have to pay for it. And it's worth it. I had a friend who joined the rather large and popular alumni association for her school. She met some locals and they did lunch a couple of times. Flash forward three years when she was interviewing for her first job after law school, roughly 150 miles away. Guess who was interviewing her: the alumnus she met! She ended up becoming the city youngest assistant district attorney. Added bonus: many associations discount the memberships for new graduates.

3. Move away from your college. You remember 13^th graders, right? You know, the kid who graduated high school last year, yet you have a hard time remembering that fact since he's at every social event the high school throws. Well, there is a college version of that, the non-grad student. Do me a favor. Step out your front door. Look to the left. Then look to the right. If you see a kegerator and beer sign or a doormat that says Welcome to Pi Phi Country, then you are the non-grad student, and you should move. Immediately.

Seriously, though, there's a logical reason for not living next to your university. College students and young professionals have very different lifestyles. Less than a year ago, I was in school. I could get up at 7, be at school by 7:30, and stay out at the bar until 3am, and be up at 6 to study for my midterm at 8. Now, I'm struggling at my morning meetings if I'm not in the bed by 10. (That makes me sad, but that's beside the point.) Think of it this way: how fresh are you going to be for that presentation for Mr. Boss Man if your bed was vibrating all night long from the bass from the raging kegger going on downstairs. (Or worse yet, you caved in and went to the kegger.)

In addition, you can probably get nicer and cheaper digs across town from the university. In college, you're paying a premium for being able to roll out of bed fifteen minutes before class. And the apartments often look like they've been inhabited by a million college students. Because they have. I paid $975 for my dump at college. My new place is physically as far as possible from the local university, is twice the size, can actually be described as luxurious, and cost $175 less. So move and save a few bucks. Which leads me to my next point...

4. Set up a budget. School was a time of surprising prosperity for me. (Except for the summer of no food in the kitchen.) However, after graduating and facing bills without the support of student loan money, I came back to Earth very quickly. One of the biggest drains on your finances is your rent. You want to live in a nice new digs, not like the rat trap you lived in during college. I've got news for you: you probably can't afford it. Your housing expenditures should not be more than 35% of your take home pay. It seems small, but it's entirely within the realm of possibility.

Your next most important pot of money is your retirement. You should start saving immediately. Oftentimes, employers match your savings up to a certain point if they offer a retirement plan. You want to take advantage of that. Think about it: you have a hundred dollars in your pocket. If someone came up to you and offered another hundred dollars, what would you say? No? Next is your debt. Your student loans, your credit card bills, and your car note...these add up to be quite a bit. Now hear me out: you want to pay your consumer debt first. This is the worst kind of debt to have. The interest rate can be as much as twice that of your education debt. Now, I'm not saying don't pay your student loans on time; you definitely want to do that, as the loan companies report that to credit bureaus. I'm just saying if you come into a sum of money or that tax return, you want to throw that at the consumer debt before that of your student loans.

5. Join a group with people your age. It can get lonely when you're all alone in a new city, particularly if your coworkers are all 20 years older than you. So join a young adult book club. Hang out at hip trendy places where people your age frequent. (A warning, ladies: I don't advise the club scene by yourself if you don't know anyone in the area. Better safe than sorry.) Yet another reason why to join your alumni association: many have a young alumni group within them. I don't think I'd have a friend in the city without either of my alumni associations.