Covid-19 has shut down college campuses across the country. Leaving many 2020 graduates with no way of attending career fairs, walking the stage, and networking to kick start their careers. When I was graduating a couple years ago, having these opportunities were so helpful for me so my heart truly goes out to you 2020 graduates who were effected by this. In light of what is happening, I wanted to be able to provide some guidance and advice on transitioning from college to the real world.
Last week I turned to my reader’s to provide their advice on how they made the transition, things they wish they had known, and the best advice they received when graduating. I was truly blown away by the response and I am so happy to share with you, 2020 graduates, what they shared with me. At the very bottom, I have also shared my story on transitioning from college to the real world!
Advice For Finding A Job
“Your first job likely won’t be your dream job! You’re there to learn and grow. Work hard and be patient.”
“Send cold emails! As awkward as they can feel, reach out to friends older siblings/parents.”
“Network, network, network. You can never know too many people.”
“Learning what you do/don’t want is more important than being in love with your first job”
“Reach out to alumni from your school on LinkedIn and ask for career advice. Find a mentor!”
“You are not “too good” for any job. You will learn and grow from any job.”
“Ask everyone you meet how they got where they are today. There are so many jobs that you probably didn’t know about.”
“Remember that you’re interviewing the employer, too.”
“Spend as much time on LinkedIn as possible. Continue to keep your profile updated, connect with people, message people and read articles on there. This is a great way to build your network.”
Career Advice
“Be a sponge. Absorb everything going on around you and don’t be closed off to new work, experiences, ideas, etc.”
“When you fail, fail hard. You learn so much more when you are failing.”
“Spend time mapping out what you want your career to look like. You don’t start at the top so have a vision of how you are going to get there.”
“Take a chance. Move out of your comfort zone. The best time to take risks is right out of college because you are a lot more flexible and have less responsibilities.”
“Scary is normal. No one knows what they’re doing at first.”
“Ask all the questions. Ask for clarity. Make sure you set yourself up for success!”
“Save your resume on your work laptop and update periodically with projects/new skills/etc.”
“Don’t be afraid to make scarifies while you are young to get into the right field of work.”
“Keep notes on projects you are working on. They may be helpful in the future.”
“Work harder than anyone else around you until you have proven yourself!”
Financial Advice
“Save your money! and live with family while you get on your feet if possible.”
“Find some budgeting/financial tips Instagram accounts and learn how to manage your $$$.”
“Budget right away! 50/30/20 get savings built up THEN Pay Down loans THEN invest.”
“Set up your 401K as soon as possible and start saving for retirement.”
Friendship Advice
“If you want to make friends you have to put yourself out there. A little effort goes a long way!”
“Make an effort to keep in contact with college/high school friends ~ time flies!”
“Join a club/org to make friends & look for mentor ship in biz are as you want to end up”
“Friendships look very different! You are not longer with people 24/7 anymore and that is totally okay.”
General Advice
“Focus on your own journey vs comparing yourself to what everyone else is doing.”
“Start buying clothes that could be worn for both work + going out.”
“It’s okay to not have it all figured out!! Post graduation is weird.”
“Don’t start work two days after graduating – take some time. Wish I would’ve known this.”
“Transitioning from college to work is a series of changes. It’s not a switch from one to the other. Understand that it is a process you walk through and enjoy it.”
My Own Experience Transitioning From College To The Real World
Moving from college to the real world was a little bit of a different experience than most. I graduated May 2016 from the University of Oklahoma with a mathematics degree. To be honest I had no idea what I wanted to do with it and that was something I wish I had mapped out at an earlier stage in college.
During my 4 years in college, I was part of a sorority and held many leadership positions. An opportunity came up my senior year of college to spend a year working for my sorority. I would travel to campuses all over the country and work with the chapters there to help them in various ways. At the time I was kind of on the fence as it wasn’t how I had envisioned coming out of college and I would have to spend a whole year away from my family, boyfriend (at the time. now fiance), and friends. But it turned out to be one of the best decisions because I was able to travel, meet tons of new people, network, and save money.
While I was working for my sorority, I was planning out my next job and where I wanted to go. Things were not playing out the way I intended at all. I had gotten an interview with, what I thought was, my dream company but ultimately didn’t get the job. I had actually used a number of connections to get the interview and was embarrassed/mortified I didn’t end up getting it. What I realized was, I was trying to find a job when I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my career. I knew where I wanted to be one day but didn’t know how to get there. After spending some time consulting with family and mentors, I made the decision to go back to school to get a masters.
Finding the right program came down to timing and realizing what I wanted to get into. I ended up taking the GMAT and applying for the MSBA (Masters of Science In Business Analytics) program at SMU. I was accepted into the program so after I was done traveling for a year, I moved back in with my parents and spent the year studying at SMU. It honestly was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Through the program I was able to accelerate my career, make incredible connects and end up with a dream job.
Through my transition from college to the real world, I have learned that it’s a process. It’s not just a sudden switch. I had always believed that you come out of college into a 9-5 job and work your way up throughout the course of your life. But there are so many different paths and ones that maybe you had no idea about. Take a chance on yourself because no one else will. Just because things aren’t going the way you envisioned them to be does not mean that it isn’t the right career path to take. Make sure to always have the end goal in mind but know you have to work really hard to get there. I am no where near where I want to be one day. I currently have an amazing job but I have so much still to learn and grow from.
I hope this was helpful for those of you who are graduating! If you have any other advise I am sure those who need it would love to see it the comments below:)
I am business analyst now for information services at a large university. I earned my MBA a few years ago – great perk of working at a university, but did not know what to focus on while in the program. What courses were most helpful for your career now? Looking back, I wish I had done the Information Systems concentration.