To the Graduating Class of 2017 (Advice from my post-college years)

First of all, congratulations. Two years earlier I was in the exact same shoes as you are—Diploma in hand and plenty of mixed emotions about what lies ahead.

 One thing I wish that I had done was talk to my college classmates and teammates who had already graduated and had already figured out a lot of the same questions and uncertainties I was about to face.

I know you’re busy reminiscing with the life-long friends you made, attending grad parties, and answering everyone’s question about “so what’s next?” for the hundredth time, so I wrote down what I’ve learned right here. I hope it helps you carry the momentum of graduation into the next few years of your life.

Your First Job Won’t be Your Last

Most people don’t fall in love with their first job out of college—And that’s completely okay, because your first job won’t be your last. The majority of my friends, myself included, are well into a new position at a different company from the one they started at the summer after graduation.  

Just because you know you probably won’t stay at this job forever (or even for the next 14 months), it’s up to you to squeeze every drop out of this experience. Learn as much as you can while you’re at the company, build enduring connections with colleagues, and take time every now and then to reflect on what you enjoy at work and what you’re good at versus the things you hate and aren’t so great at. Some of the most important things you will learn at your first job will be about yourself.

I never commute to an office because my entire company works remote, which allows me to design my schedule around when I’m most productive, and take off to South America to work from there for a month if I want a change. I never would have ended up in this situation if it weren’t for the people I met, experiences I had, and skills I learned at my first job.

Focus on Personal Growth to be Successful

"Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become." —Jim Rohn

 Where do you want to end up five years from now, and are you being intentional about the daily habits and decisions you make? The micro habits you form, intentional or not, have a significant long term impact on your life.

Think about this: Person 1 typically stays up late watching Netflix before work and snoozes their alarm every morning before hurriedly making a coffee, getting dressed, and driving off to work.

Person 2 wakes up early and sits in silence for a few minutes drinking their coffee. They reflect on their most important tasks for the day and the week, and write in their morning journal. For fifteen minutes, they read a quick chapter of the most recent book they’ve picked up on real estate investing (one of their goals is to save up and buy a rental property). Then their off for a quick run and stretch before jumping in the shower and preparing a healthy breakfast. They have plenty of time to get to work and listen to a podcast on the way.

Do you think Person 1 or Person 2 is going to be in the better mindset to capitalize on any opportunities that happen throughout their day? And how do you see those habits adding up over time? I’d venture to say that Person 2 ends up buying that rental property in a couple years, and down the road will make career and lifestyle decisions that fit them best after reflecting daily on their goals.

I’m not saying you have to wake up early to be successful, but it’s a time of day before the emails and noise starts that most people are less distracted and can focus. At the very least, try it out. If you need more motivation, grab a copy of the Miracle Morning. This post would not have been written without it.  

There’s something to be said for being intentional about your habits, and as a result, your life. If you have a heavy workload where a lot of people rely on you, have kids, or other people in your life you need to take care of, it’s even more important that you make the time to care for and improve yourself. It’s like when the flight attendants instruct you to put an oxygen mask on yourself first—You can’t effectively help others when you yourself are struggling for air.

Be selfish about creating the time for self improvement and positive micro habits, and you’ll find that you’re better able to help others.

Keep Reading

For the last 8 years of your life as a student, you’ve gotten used to being assigned textbooks and literature to read. For the first time in your life, you actually get to decide what to read and what you want to learn. Take advantage of this. Want to read about investing? Go for it. Always been fascinated by history but studied finance in college? Pick up a book. Try something new and browse the fiction section.

Not much of a reader? Get an audiobook subscription or find a few podcasts you can listen to at home or on the way to work.

Pay Off Your Student Loans ASAP

 I know, I know—You’ve heard this before, and it’s obvious advice. But seriously—No one wants loans hanging over their head. The mental and emotional benefit of not having any debt is incredibly freeing.  

Personal finance is one of the things standing between you and what you want to get out of life—whether that’s to travel, retire early, buy a house, etc. It’s true that you don’t need a whole lot of money to do those things, but being better off financially gives you more freedom. You can’t start building your personal net worth until your loans are paid off.  

Here are a few of my favorite personal finance resources and blog posts that I wish I had read in finance class. It doesn’t matter if you graduated with an intimidating amount of debt or have zero debt, use these resources as a starting point: 

• The Simple Path to Wealth — Jim Collins - It’s my personal opinion that everyone should read this.
• News Flash: Your Debt Is An Emergency!! — Mr. Money Mustache - Take a read through Mr. Money Mustache’s blog for nuggets of financial wisdom.
• Financial Independence Podcast — The Mad Fientist - As a personal finance nerd, I love the Mad Fientist. If you’re at all interested in retiring early (and who isn’t?), his blog and podcast have awesome information on investing and personal finance.
• Budget Spreadsheet - I created this when I got my first apartment, and turned it into a template to share. It’s a simple Google spreadsheet budget that you can copy and update in any way you’d like.

It’s OK to Live at Home

 ...Or to move back home after living in the city for a year and paying rent (guilty). It’s definitely more exciting to move to a new place after college, but giving a third of your paycheck to your landlord gets old after a while. This is especially true if you have student debt to pay off (see the previous section). You can always move in a year or two when you’re in a better financial situation and have a more clear idea about where you want to live and work.

Stay Connected with Colleagues 

Since you graduated from college, you probably heard a million times that networking is key to a successful career. Maintaining your existing network is even more important. Some of my best opportunities have come from past coworkers who I’ve remained connected with.

 It’s not easy to keep in touch with everyone, but make an effort to catch up over coffee with someone different each month, or each week shoot someone a LinkedIn message to see how they’re doing. The more people you stay connected with over the years, the more opportunities you create for your future self, and the better the chances are that you can pass it on by connecting others. 

Have Hobbies Outside of Work 

Get a hobby. Seriously.

I don’t care if you brew your own beer, run half marathons, or knit dog sweaters. Hobbies make you a more interesting and relatable person, which is great for job interviews, networking, and human interaction in general. They can also be a great way to learn new things and build your skills. My jewelry design hobby has helped me get better at everything from building a brand on Instagram and running social media to working with clients—All of which tie into my day-to-day job. It’s also a beautiful thing to explore your interests and be passionate about something outside of your day job.

Your Job Doesn’t Define You

  I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as making a ‘life.’ — Maya Angelou

Speaking of your day job, it’s important to keep in mind that you are not defined by your career. Whenever you get stressed out, or have one of those I-don’t-know-what-I-am-doing-with-my-life days, remember that a job is just that—a job.

Take Risks Early On

 I know so many alumni doing amazing things—Starting businesses, traveling around the world, volunteering, and reinventing themselves in a completely different field from what they studied in college. None of that happens without taking on some sort of risk. And I’m here to tell you to go for it—live in a different country for a while, build that website, apply for that reach job that you’re not sure you’re qualified for.  

You have so much time to make mistakes, learn from them, and make more mistakes.

Help the Next Ones Along

In the past couple of weeks, hopefully you were able to recognize all of the professors, classmates, coworkers, and friends who have helped you along the way. Throughout the course of your career, you’re going to have endless opportunities to circulate that goodwill. Seek out these opportunities to mentor others, take a new intern under your wing, connect two people in your network who are working on similar projects. You’ll find that you get back a lot more than you give, and on top of that, it feels great.

For the new grads that I know and love, and for those whom I’ve never met before but are heading out to do amazing things, I hope my learnings from two years as an alumni are helpful.

 Most of you have been in some sort of institutionalized education system for your entire lives. A system that more or less dictated your schedule, told you what to learn and how to think, and what is “normal.” In a way, your true education and life are just beginning.

 I challenge you to look at everything you’ve learned over the past twenty plus years with fresh eyes, to live with colorful intention, and to strive to be the best version of yourself, because I would love to live in a world where we’re all doing just that.