It’s your graduation day– congratulations! At this point, what to do after college becomes the point of focus now.
Those late-night study sessions, as well as the years of hard work, have paid off and now it is time to celebrate all that you achieved and go on to make your mark in the world.
However, what many people who have gone before you will not tell you is how confusing it can be after graduation.
Knowing what to do after you have graduated ensures you don’t waste time and that you act fast and go after your dreams. I will let you in on the secret of the most important things you should do after graduating college:
- Update Your Resume
- Don’t Take Too Much Time Off
- Learn How To Budget
- Come Up With A Plan To Pay Back Your Student Loan
- Volunteer
- Try New Things
Update Your Resume
Your resume is a major tool when it comes to searching for a job. Thus, go right ahead and update it to indicate that you have graduated from college.
When you are making the updates remember to make it easy to read, list your special qualification or skills as well as your professional history.
When listing your professional history you need to start with the most recent and relevant one which in this case will be graduating college.
Also, include any acknowledgements, awards, or extra-curricular activities you have partaken in that pertain to your professional career.
Don’t Take Too Much Time Off
Taking a few days or weeks to relax and enjoy your life after college is okay. However, this is not an excuse to slack for months or years. Get an entry-level job after graduation even if the pay is not what you would have wished for.
You need to remain active and start gaining work experience. You can also use this is an opportunity to network, hone your skills, or even stay on top of new developments in your field.
You may also be lucky to land your dream job immediately, which will be a great thing. This will not be possible, though, if you are spending all day sleeping or doing things that don’t help you grow in your career. With the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re obviously spending a lot of time at home, which is understandable. Read more about Navigating the job market in 2021 and how to get your way through amidst a pandemic.
Learn How To Budget
Not having a budget is setting yourself up for financial failure. Even with savings, if you don’t budget on how you will spend your money you will soon go broke.
Without savings and no budgeting skills, things will even be worse. In budgeting, you have to start by figuring out the priorities. These are the non-negotiable expenses like rent and bills.
From there, you can then set flexible amounts on necessary things like food and gas. Once you get a job, you need to create a savings account and save some amount however small, with each paycheck.
No amount is too little to go into your savings account. Nonetheless, discretionary spending is mandatory if you don’t want to be living paycheck to paycheck.
Come Up With A Plan To Pay Back Your Student Loan
If you had taken student loans you need to start paying them back after graduation. Come up with a plan on how to do that.
Including this in your budget means you won’t take decades to clear the debt. Keep track of the loan and interest.
If there are loan forgiveness programs you can take advantage of, explore those as well. The sooner that gets behind your back the better it will be for you.
Volunteer
Before you get a job you can volunteer in an organization that supports a cause you are passionate about. Even if you are working full-time, you can find time over the weekend to volunteer for a few hours.
You need to stay connected to the community. If you are still searching for a job you can use the opportunity to make professional contacts that can help you in the search.
The volunteer opportunities should also be included in your resume. Volunteering in the field you had studied in also helps to increase your knowledge and skills.
If you are not practising there is a high possibility that you might forget some things and you will have a harder time catching up once you get back to work.
Try New Things
You are about to start your adult life after college and that is why you need to use the opportunity to explore new things. You can join a local book club, pottery class, or pursue other hobbies that you hadn’t given enough time because of college.
No more wonder regarding what to do after college
Verdict
After reading the guidelines above, you are now able to decide what o do after college. These simple steps can help you survive easily after college.
