Graduating from college is a huge achievement, but you’re probably thinking a lot about what comes next. To help you prepare for your first post-college year, we chatted with recent grads about how to survive after college. Here’s their advice for other college graduates, along with the life lessons they’ve learned since leaving school:
1. Prepare for a long job search
2. Build your network
3. Save up for an emergency fund
4. Start repaying your student loans
5. Take advantage of a 401(k) plan
6. Don’t spend too much on rent
7. Be patient as you work toward your goals
1. Prepare for a long job search
Jazmin Cybulski is a content writer who writes about fashion, lifestyle and other topics. But it took her almost two years to land this role after graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in English literature.
“I graduated in August 2016 and didn’t land my job … until March 2018,” said Cybulski. “So, it’s been quite a time since I graduated from college.”
During those two years, she had two main jobs: freelancing and searching for full-time work.
“The job search has to become your full-time job (40 hours a week of applications) if you want to get a job ASAP, and even then, it may take longer than you’re expecting,” said Cybulski. “You’re going to go to a lot of interviews. Some you might feel like you killed it and you might have actually blown it in your interviewer’s eyes, and vice versa.”
Through it all, Cybulski encourages new graduates not to feel discouraged.
“The first year out of college is harder than most people make it out to be,” she said. “But don’t let it get you down. Instead, let it fuel you.”
2. Build your network
You and your college friends might move to different cities after graduating, but do your best to stay in touch. Not only is it important to maintain friendships, but it’s also useful to build your professional network.
Jason Patel, the founder of college consulting company Transizion and a Class of 2014 graduate of George Washington University, has a clear piece of advice for college graduates: “Always be networking.”
“Don’t think of networking as a chore; think of it as a muscle,” said Patel. “The more you use it, the better you get at it.”
You might join alumni groups or connect with others in your industry at conferences or through LinkedIn. According to The Adler Group, 85% of all jobs are filled through networking.
Taking the time to make connections can help you find the right role and grow your career down the road.
3. Save up for an emergency fund
Unexpected emergencies happen, so it’s important to create an emergency fund to cover costs. Most experts recommend saving enough to cover living expenses for three to six months.
Although it can be tough to save that much, setting aside a small amount of money from each paycheck will add up over time.
Marissa Connell, who graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2016 with a degree in public relations, said her best advice for college graduates is, “Save, save, save.”
“I would encourage any recent grad to save as much as possible (within reason),” said Connell. “Small saving moves add up to a much easier future.”
To accomplish your savings goals, make a budget and look for areas where you can cut back. If you often eat out for meals, consider cutting back. Make eating out a treat rather than a habit.
To increase your income, you could also pick up a part-time job or start a side hustle. Or you could slash your expenses in a major way by moving back in with your parents for a time.
How you save is up to you. But building your savings will set you up for a more secure future.
4. Start repaying your student loans
The average Class of 2019 graduate is no stranger to student loans. In fact, they left school owing an average $29,900.
That’s why Rachel Kampersal, who graduated from Roger Williams University in 2017, encourages new graduates to prioritize student loan repayment.
“It’s important to repay your student loans ASAP,” said Kampersal. “Pay off as much as you can while you’re young and have less expenses (i.e., mortgage, children, etc.) than you will in the future.”
As you make timely payments on your student loans, you’ll build credit.
“Make sure you understand all your repayment options and make the right decision for you,” said Kampersal. “Establish a plan to set aside money each month for your student loans.”
If you can make extra payments, you can save on interest and get out of debt ahead of schedule.
5. Take advantage of a 401(k) plan
Planning for retirement might not feel like a priority when you start your career. But Dennis McNamara, a Class of 2011 Rutgers University graduate and financial planner, encourages new grads to take advantage of their company’s 401(k). A 401(k) plan is an employer-sponsored retirement account.
“Don’t only participate, do your absolute best to contribute at least 10% of your salary,” McNamara advised. “Fifteen percent is the ultimate goal!”
The sooner you can start saving for retirement, the better off you’ll be. That’s because compounding interest helps your balance increase over time.
It’s especially important to save if your employer offers a company match. If your employer offers a 3% match, for instance, make sure you’re contributing at least 3% of your paycheck into your 401(k).
As McNamara said, saving more than that will lead to a much bigger nest egg.
6. Don’t spend too much on rent
“When budgeting for rent, the rule of thumb is to spend no more than 30% of your monthly gross income on monthly rent and utility expenses,” said McNamara. “Do not forget about utilities — these can easily add $200 plus to your monthly expenses.”
McNamara’s advice for college graduates is to stick to this rule so they have room in their budget for other goals.
However, the cost of rent is higher than ever. If you live in a big city, it’s difficult to follow the age-old rule of spending one-third or less of your monthly income on rent.
To cut costs, consider moving to a less expensive area or sharing space with a roommate or two.
“It is highly recommended to consider sharing space with a roommate to split these expenses,” said McNamara. “By doing this, one can save hundreds (even thousands) of dollars over the course of a year simply by splitting rent, utilities, [and] miscellaneous apartment expenses.”
7. Be patient as you work toward your goals
“We all have big dreams about our career, our living situation and finances when we get out of college,” Connell said. “I’m here to say that these things take time.”
Although you might feel impatient waiting for everything to fall into place, accomplishing your goals takes time.
“Be OK with having things that aren’t your dream for the moment, like a smaller, slightly less convenient apartment or the job that isn’t your dream position,” she said. “Keep yourself in the mindset that you are working towards better things and it won’t be this way permanently.”
You also need to be careful not to compare yourself to others. Don’t assume everyone else is doing better than you.
“It can be easy to get discouraged, but you’re not falling behind anyone,” Connell said. “Trust me.”
The first year out of college is challenging for everyone. Over time, you’ll have the wisdom and experience to define your financial goals and pursue the career you truly want.
Interested in refinancing student loans?
Here are the top 9 lenders of 2022!| Lender | Variable APR | Eligible Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 2.49% – 11.72%1 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.50% – 6.30%2 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 4.13% – 7.39%3 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.49% – 7.99%4 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.49% – 7.99%5 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 3.24% – 8.24%6 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 2.48% – 7.98% | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 1.74% – 7.99%7 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
 | 3.69% – 9.92%8 | Undergrad & Graduate | |
| Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial DisclosuresTerms and Conditions apply. Splash reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. Rates and terms are also subject to change at any time without notice. Offers are subject to credit approval. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. If approved, your actual rate will be within a range of rates and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, a responsible financial history, income and other factors. Refinancing or consolidating private and federal student loans may not be the right decision for everyone. Federal loans carry special benefits not available for loans made through Splash Financial, for example, public service loan forgiveness and economic hardship programs, fee waivers and rebates on the principal, which may not be accessible to you after you refinance. The rates displayed may include a 0.25% autopay discount. The information you provide to us is an inquiry to determine whether we or our lenders can make a loan offer that meets your needs. If we or any of our lending partners has an available loan offer for you, you will be invited to submit a loan application to the lender for its review. We do not guarantee that you will receive any loan offers or that your loan application will be approved. Offers are subject to credit approval and are available only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers will receive the lowest rates, which are available to the most qualified borrowers. Participating lenders, rates and terms are subject to change at any time without notice. To check the rates and terms you qualify for, Splash Financial conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, the lender will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit. Splash Financial and our lending partners reserve the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen and meet our lending partner’s underwriting requirements. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. This information is current as of September 6, 2022. 2 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road DisclosuresAll credit products are subject to credit approval. Laurel Road began originating student loans in 2013 and has since helped thousands of professionals with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees consolidate and refinance more than $9 billion in federal and private school loans. Laurel Road also offers a suite of online graduate school loan products and personal loans that help simplify lending through customized technology and personalized service. In April 2019, Laurel Road was acquired by KeyBank, one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies. Laurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association, a nationally chartered bank. Member FDIC. For more information, visit www.laurelroad.com. As used throughout these Terms & Conditions, the term “Lender” refers to KeyBank National Association and its affiliates, agents, guaranty insurers, investors, assigns, and successors in interest.
Assumptions: Repayment examples above assume a loan amount of $10,000 with repayment beginning immediately following disbursement. Repayment examples do not include the 0.25% AutoPay Discount. Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): This term represents the actual cost of financing to the borrower over the life of the loan expressed as a yearly rate. Interest Rate: A simple annual rate that is applied to an unpaid balance. Variable Rates: The current index for variable rate loans is derived from the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and changes in the LIBOR index may cause your monthly payment to increase. Borrowers who take out a term of 5, 7, or 10 years will have a maximum interest rate of 9%, those who take out a 15 or 20-year variable loan will have a maximum interest rate of 10%. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of April 29, 2021. Information and rates are subject to change without notice. 3 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey DisclosuresRefinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution. Subject to floor rate and may require the automatic payments be made from a checking or savings account with the lender. The rate reduction will be removed and the rate will be increased by 0.25% upon any cancellation or failed collection attempt of the automatic payment and will be suspended during any period of deferment or forbearance. As a result, during the forbearance or suspension period, and/or if the automatic payment is canceled, any increase will take the form of higher payments. The lowest advertised variable APR is only available for loan terms of 5 years and is reserved for applicants with FICO scores of at least 810. As of 09/09/2022 student loan refinancing rates range from 4.13% APR – 7.39% Variable APR with AutoPay and 2.99% APR – 9.93% Fixed APR with AutoPay. 4 Rate range above includes optional 0.25% Auto Pay discount. Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest DisclosuresYou can choose between fixed and variable rates. Fixed interest rates are 3.99% – 8.74% APR (3.74% – 8.49% APR with Auto Pay discount). Starting variable interest rates are 2.74% APR to 8.24% APR (2.49% – 7.99% APR with Auto Pay discount). Variable rates are based on an index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus a margin. Variable rates are reset monthly based on the fluctuation of the index. We do not currently offer variable rate loans in AK, CO, CT, HI, IL, KY, MA, MN, MS, NH, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA. 5 Important Disclosures for Navient. 6 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi DisclosuresFixed rates range from 3.99% APR to 8.24% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Variable rates from 3.24% APR to 8.24% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law, Variable Interest rates on 5-, 7-, and 10-year terms are capped at 8.95% APR; 15- and 20-year terms are capped at 9.95% APR. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on the term you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, presence of a co-signer and a variety of other factors. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For the SoFi variable-rate product, the variable interest rate for a given month is derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). APRs for variable-rate loans may increase after origination if the SOFR index increases. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. This benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit lowers your interest rate but does not change the amount of your monthly payment. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. 7 Important Disclosures for Purefy. Purefy DisclosuresPurefy Student Loan Refinancing Rate and Terms Disclosure: Annual Percentage Rates (APR) ranges and examples are based on information provided to Purefy by lenders participating in Purefy’s rate comparison platform. For student loan refinancing, the participating lenders offer fixed rates ranging from 2.73% – 7.99% APR, and variable rates ranging from 1.74% – 7.99% APR. The maximum variable rate is 25.00%. Your interest rate will be based on the lender’s requirements. In most cases, lenders determine the interest rates based on your credit score, degree type and other credit and financial criteria. Only borrowers with excellent credit and meeting other lender criteria will qualify for the lowest rate available. Rates and terms are subject to change at any time without notice. Terms and conditions apply. 8 Important Disclosures for Citizens. CitizensBank DisclosuresEducation Refinance Loan Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69%-9.92% (3.69%-9.92% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49%-10.11% (4.49%-10.11% APR). Undergraduate Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 6.39%- 9.60% (6.39% – 9.60% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 6.58% – 9.79% (6.58% – 9.79% APR). Graduate Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69% – 9.16% (3.69% – 9.16% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49% – 9.35% (4.49% – 9.35% APR). Education Refinance Loan for Parents Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69%- 9.09% (3.69%- 9.09% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49% – 9.28% (4.49% – 9.28% APR). Medical Residency Refinance Loan Rate Disclosure: Variable interest rates range from 3.69% – 9.16% (3.69% – 9.16% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 4.49% – 9.35% (4.49% – 9.35% APR). |
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