5 Steps To Take To Kick Start Your Career Fresh Out Of College
After the safety and comfort of college life, making the first step into the daunting and unpredictable working life marks an important transition in your life and the first jobs you find will shape the course of your future career. The rapid changes in the global economy are impacting every field and industry, so it’s important to be prepared and willing to take on the challenges that lay ahead.
By taking the following thoughtful steps, you’ll be on a path of success.
No job is beneath anyone
It is the expectation of every grad student to land an amazing, well-paid job right out of college. In reality, it doesn’t happen to everyone. It’s a fierce competition on the job market and many young people make the mistake of believing that if they don’t get a prestigious job, that they have somehow failed.
Surely, it may feel a bit disappointing in the beginning to do the job of an office clerk or assistant, but this is exactly what will pay your rent and help you build your life, day by day, penny by penny. So, the advice is to take whatever you can find while you’re working towards something better and save as much as you can along the way.
Continue your education
Staying relevant in any career today means you need to continuously learn and adapt to rapid changes in technology. Fortunately, these changes have also made education much more accessible to almost anyone in the world to earn a degree and learn a new skill from their own home.
Top universities, such as Yale, Harvard, Stanford and MIT offer online courses that include everything from accounting, programming, business management, finance and marketing.
One excellent example is taking up financial modelling courses in Sydney, which offer Australian residents an excellent opportunity to learn how to prepare essential analyses, master core Excel modelling skills and work efficiently, focusing primarily on architecture and transparency.
Prioritize
One of the biggest mistakes many young people make at the beginning of their working life is to lose track of their priorities. It’s not about living near bars and trendy places. On the contrary, find a flat near your job, so you don’t waste time commuting. It’s the hot nightlife and crossing long distances that will cost you your hard earned money. So, choose to live as near to your workplace as possible, and set aside that extra money you saved for the future, such as retirement, down payment for the house, stocks or even travelling.
Learn to network
No man is an island and it goes the same in small business as well. It’s built on connections and relationships and quality networking is what will help you advance. Statistics show that 75% of leadership jobs come from referrals. And, it’s never too early to start. While you’re still at college, look for internship positions at places where you’d like to work after graduation and connect with people there. Get into volunteering at non-profit organisations and engage into activities that they support.
There will come a time in your future career when your most valuable currency will be the relationships you have made. But there is one thing to bear in mind: remember to give, not only ask. Networking is not only a tool to get you what you need from other, but rather a way for you to give to others in need.
Manage your finances
Unfortunately, nowadays global economy is not in the best state and most people are struggling to make and save money. The need for better financial understanding and education has become so serious that many states have financial training as a mandatory subject in high schools. More than 70% of grad students have large debts in student loans but no idea how to manage their budget. By learning how to do this, you can establish a solid foundation for a successful and stress-free career.
One solution is personal finance software that is free and comes in a form of an app for iPhones and Android phones which allows users to easily track and manage their accounts and personal finances. In this way, you’ll be able to start saving and make plans about your future moves and investments.
In general, it’s highly recommendable that young people in their twenties take jobs more seriously and form a strong foundation for what they plan to do in their thirties. It should be clear that no one is coming to the rescue like in Hollywood movies and that the most important thing is to be proactive and prepared to utilize all the skills and talents you have acquired.
