Comments on: Life Advice to a Graduating College Student

By: Max

Max — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:21:52 +0000

As it turns out, I am a graduating senior as well and have really enjoyed the question that you posted. All of the advice on here sounds great. I have talked about these same question different times with my family and friends as well. The only thing that I might be able to add to these many posts is to get you to remember that everything is up to you from here on out. No person has more to gain than you do right now. I know this because I am in the exact same situation and reading this posting helped me in some ways and made more questions in others.
If others read this, please let me ask to those who have gone traveling before me.

How have you paid for these trips?
The one thing I know that I want to do is see more of the world. The major problem is that right now I have student loans and very little savings. Is there any advice that you might give me on either places I could go to work overseas or tips on cheap travel/lodging. Anything and I would be grateful. As a college student about to graduate in one of the worst times for the American economy, I am very nervous about the future. One thing that I know is that I do not want to miss out on something that I have always wanted to do. So please any advice if you have it and thank you in advance.

By: reulte

reulte — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:17:40 +0000

Write the best obituary for yourself now . . . then spend the rest of your life living up to it.

Adventure is what happens when plans fall through.

Never trust anyone who says “Trust me”.

Mind the details.

Pack light.

Listen.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:29:07 +0000

No one knows what the right choice is but you are smart to ask the question and weigh the advice with your own instincts. You really got some really great advice from what has been posted already. I can say what I wish I did when I was your age (I am 38 now):
- stayed in school longer
- in my field, computer science, experience in the field matters a lot and I wish I took at least one COOP job after university to get some experience and a mix of education and experience
- have confidence in your abilities and don’t settle if you can avoid it
- keep learning through out life and learn how you learn so you can use your skills in your best interests, both while in university and working
- avoid debt
- be positive and don’t get pulled into group or clicks that complain esp at work. Rise above negativity
Good Luck!

By: Carrick

Carrick — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:30:07 +0000

Funnily enough, what I really wished my mom sit me down to talk about was health insurance. Although this tip may not apply to most grads since a lot of them enter huge corporations with automatic health insurance benefits, the ones that don’t should get this asap. Because I was self-employed most of the time in my early twenties, I had to navigate the stormy waters of health insurance myself. And because the system is set up specifically to rip people off, it was an incredibly frustrating experience. At one point, I was practically hyperventilating with panic over having been denied coverage. Finally, after bungling through years of hassles, I feel I have a handle on it, but it would have been great to have gotten a little tutorial right at the beginning.

By: Hackerette

Hackerette — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:54:57 +0000

Never settle – not for a job, not in a relationship, and not for anything less than your most ambitious dreams. Keep working and pushing for the best.

By: Gabriel

Gabriel — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:43:25 +0000

To Dana the lingustics grad –

There seems to be a lot of neat areas that are capitalizing on linguistics, artificial intelligence for one! It’s a very useful background to have in the technology and cognitive research worlds. Good luck to you!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:52:09 +0000

I graduated last July and decided to be a stay at home mother to my then four-month-old daughter. My husband and I moved so that he could get a great job in a place where we could afford for me to stay home. Staying in our hometown would have had us both working to scrape by; moving 6 hours away has us both doing what we love and owning our home.

My advice: Do what YOU want and be prepared to let following your dreams change every aspect of your life if it needs to. I can’t imagine what I would have given up if we hadn’t been willing to move.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:27:09 +0000

All great advice!

- travel
- don’t settle, it’s easy to go with the first thing that comes along (work, relationship, etc.)
- let things come to you

Buy a box of Yogi Tea, they have wonderful, sage bits of wisdom on every teabag tag. And a nice spot of tea every day gives you time to breathe, reflect on your day and relax.

For Andy who asked about what a 3 month summer gap looks on your resume…as a staffing manager at a huge company…take the time (because as you can read here we all wish we had taken some time to do what we wanted before entering the rat race!) and just be honest about it. Acknowledge it, note the gap on your resume and that’s it. Any good recruiter will ask about a gap in time but taking some time off between college and a job is a reasonable reason.

Good luck!

By: Stuart S.

Stuart S. — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:53:41 +0000

I graduated from college in 2004 and this is a question that I’ve been focusing on ever since. When I graduated from college, I was confronted with a ton of issues that I knew weren’t complicated and had been tackled by tons of people before me. However, the solutions/how-to’s weren’t readily available. This lead me to create a “wisdom book” of sorts called Gradspot.com. I’ve gone through the same exercise you’re going through, pulling in advice from my contemporaries and seniors as well as topic experts on subjects ranging from apartments, to careers, to health care, to finance, and more. And whenever I’m asked this exact question, I have one consistent, passionate answer:

You (we) are still young and have a ton of time ahead of you, and you (we) shouldn’t forget that, when it comes to career choices, apartments, and everything else. You’re probably not burdened by a mortgage or a child, and now is a time that you can take a risk. For example, always wanted to be a freelance writer? Then go for it. Sticking to the example, while I wish I could say that you should wait out for a job that fits your goals/expectations, this is a tough economy, so I’d take what you can get. BUT, don’t lose sight of what you really want. You can still moonlight or become a weekend warrior – and over time, it can turn from a weekend project to a full-time job. Most importantly, what do you have to lose? So you try something for two years, and it doesn’t work out… We’ll, you’re still young and have an entire lifetime ahead of you. You’ll only be around ~23. And best case scenario? It works. Which is a pretty awesome situation to be in as a 23 year old.

By: Cory

Cory — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:45:30 +0000

Almost forgot… one piece of great advice for living life is this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

A great model on how to be able to live your life without regrets at the end.

By: Fitz

Fitz — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:10:48 +0000

My advice would be to learn proper English grammar. It’s VERY important when job seeking — especially with our current economic crisis — to be as competitive as possible. Being competitive includes having a functional grasp of language.

The question you posed was, “What single piece of advice do you wish you had heard when you were about to graduate college?”

People graduate FROM college, or graduate FROM high school.

Here’s a good description of the issue:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/graduated-from.aspx
(Or http://tinyurl.com/cus36l)

By: Alicia C.

Alicia C. — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:29:52 +0000

I graduated in May 07. I would say, dont take the first job that is offered to you unless you really want it. I thought that this job was great because it was a job. My (now) husband and I moved four hours away from family and friends for a job that i dont like and are stuck in our situation because of the economy and costs associated with moving back. Take some time to find a job that you will really enjoy. Take into account not only your duties but the people you will be working with (I work with 5 35+ men and I am a 25 yo female, its been hard to find places to meet people to hang out with) Good Luck!

By: Cory

Cory — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:41:55 +0000

Almost 20 years after graduating, looking back there are a few things I wish I understood back then that I’ve learned (often the hard way.)

People and relationships are far more important than we are led to believe in modern society. Being able to communicate and form relationships is more important to a career than you realize. Also, my best memories and my biggest regrets in the past 20 years have to do with people and not money or “things”.

Try to find your passion and do work related to it. Trent has said this before and I have to back that up. Having a passion about something tends to make you great at it and helps you excel. When you get a job, imagine doing something int he same line of work for the next 30+ years. If the thought makes you cringe and the job isn’t a stepping stone towards one that you actually would enjoy then its time to move on.

Never stop striving to do your best even if it doesn’t seem like it makes a difference. Too many people in the world do only what is needed to earn a paycheck. Those few people who make a real effort to do their best stand. Management notices effort and improvement. (If it honestly doesn’t make a difference where you work then you should probably find a new employer… this one is probably doomed.)

By: Tina

Tina — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:41:14 +0000

the author of Three Cups of Tea said . . . “when your heart speaks take good notes” and I absolutely love that advice.

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:25:58 +0000

Travel, get out and do something you’ve never done before. Don’t feel that you have to jump right into ‘real life’.

By: Favorite Nephew

Favorite Nephew — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:19:43 +0000

Things work out. Apply to work in your dream field, even if you fear you can’t support yourself. Even if you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, that’s only because the tunnel has unexpected turns. Things have a way of working out, especially if you’re willing to work hard.

By: Seasongs

Seasongs — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:50:43 +0000

Stay humble.
Remember your Maker.
Pay your bills on time.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:47:09 +0000

I wish I had been told:
Learn to be confidient and secure in yourself – low self-esteem will cause many a heartache.
Advice from my Grandma:
Marry the man that will make you laugh – you’ll easily remember the happy times over the hard times (so true!).
My husband’s motto:
I’d rather keep my mouth shut and have people think I don’t know anything, than open it and prove it.

By: Golfing Girl

Golfing Girl — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:21:18 +0000

Avoid the “grass is always greener” mindset. For instance, if you find yourself thinking, “I sure wish I was married instead of alone,” start listing all of the things married people would envy a single person (no obligations, unlimited time to pursue hobbies, etc.). Also, realize that no one starts at the top but work ethic and manners will always be noticed to get you there faster. When you look back in 20 years, you’ll be amazed what you lived on and how you survived. :)

By: sl

sl — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:28:22 +0000

Treat everyone with the same amount of courtesy and respect, no matter what position they hold. No person or job is beneath you. You never know what brought a person to where they are, and you can learn something from every person you meet. Always keep in the back of your mind that circumstances sometimes change and you may be in a position you never expected to be in. Treat people how would you like to be treated in that situation. This will keep you grounded and when the pressure is on, that courtesy and respect will come back around. Good luck to you!