Advice for College Graduates

Ah, this will be harder than advice to high school graduates. I spent 15 years after college graduation bouncing job to job and never run into a good man to marry so no kids in my lifetime. What would a broke crazy cat lady have to say to a college graduate? I'll give it my best shot. 1. Pay back your student loans as quickly as you can. It will save you on interest to pay the principal part (the loan amount) down faster than on schedule. 2. Surprise! You are going working for the same amount of pay as a high school student and have a long way to get to the middle. Yes, a degree will help get to the middle class jobs after experience builds on your resume, but at first, you will be at the bottom of hierarchy. 3. Remember Freedom of Expression you are so comfortable with is now over with. You will conform to your occupation dress code and manners, or you will be unemployed a lot. As they say: Shape up or ship out. 4. Pay your bills on time. A credit score may not mean much until you start applying for jobs, apartments, car loans, mortgage loans, and you got it, credit cards. As my father always said, If you can't afford something, then you don't buy it. Remember, Christmas is a good time to ask for things you can't afford. 5. Save as much as you can. Rainy days will happen. Your income will be fluid moving up and down as time goes on. Life is not a success only journey. And vacations are nice. 6. Remember it took your parents 20 years of hard work to get where they are now. It will take you just as long so don't believe you have to have everything your parents have right away. They struggled too long before they had you. 7. Get use to crash courses and take notes. Every job I've had is a crash course of training and then they leave you alone ready or not. 8. Most jobs are dealing with computers that record everything you do on them and dealing with cash jobs will have cameras. No surfing the internet when forbidden and no stealing cause management will figure it out and you will be fired. BTW, embezzlement is a crime that can send you to jail if your employer prosecutes. 9. When quitting a job, don't tell off the manager when you leave. That person will be the one future employers contact for a reference. In addition, you might need that manager to re-hire you later. 10. Don't think you are done learning. Many occupations require adults to return to college like: mechanics, teachers, office workers, etc. Technology changes, training styles change, and laws change. Job loss is another reason to return to college.