Comments on: Hey recent grads: I want to tell you something

By: MilkYourMoney

MilkYourMoney — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:17:19 +0000

Great advice – It’s so tempting to spend money like crazy right after graduating. It’s the first time in your life that a regular and decent income stream is being sent your way.

I would recommend graduates to play with a student loan repayment calculator to see how much additional money should be applied each month to their student loans to reduce the payment from 20 years to 15 or 10 or less…You’d be surprise how far a little extra goes

MilkYourMoney’s last blog post..Use Credit Card Rewards Programs to Save for Retirement

By: castocreations

castocreations — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:19:47 +0000

Interesting. I didn’t go to my graduation ceremony either. Saw no point in it. I didn’t know any of the people since I attended all lessons online or by mail. I worked my way through school so I already had my job once I graduated. And my degree hasn’t helped me at all. But I don’t regret getting it.

Another word of advice to new grads coming in to the workplace…do NOT act like you know everything. Just because you finally have that piece of paper, for which you paid way too much money, does not mean you’re at the top of the barrel. There’s nothing wrong with working your way up – starting off on the low rung. It builds character. I get really annoyed with some of the brats we have had come on right after college. They have some pretty dang high expectations and no realistic view of the world.

castocreations’s last blog post..Try Try Again

By: Becky@FamilyandFinances

Becky@FamilyandFinances — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:54:23 +0000

Well said!

By: thebaglady

thebaglady — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:47:18 +0000

Great post. I graduated 3 years ago from a very large state school and moved to a new city and then got married. It is a huge change, and work could seem boring after a while because in school you are used to learning new things every semester. So I think it's important to keep on trying new things in your career, too. thebaglady's last blog post..A Real Baglady Incident in Las Vegas - A Taste of Class Discrimination

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:53:13 +0000

I’ve found that real-life finance works from the same principles as college finance but doesn’t have as much of a safety net (depending on your parents, I guess). In college, I didn’t have to worry about as much, but then I wasn’t bringing in as much money. I think they money and worries have increased almost proportionally, but I don’t feel like “Well, I can always go home and just pay my parents for any food/gas I use.” All of a sudden, the net is gone and it’s pretty scary.

Still, no need to panic, it’s fun as well!

By: S.B.

S.B. — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:12:56 +0000

Kacie,
I skipped both of my commencements too. I told myself that I’d walk when I got my Masters, but when I got that I decided it wasn’t worth the money. Plus in both cases, I graduated early – so it felt extra silly to finish in December and than walk in May. I don’t regret skipping them either.

S.B.

S.B.’s last blog post..Used Our KB Toy Coupon

By: Leah

Leah — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:12:17 +0000

These are some great tips! I am graduating tomorrow night and I am jumping into my job search and it is somewhat depressing right now.

By: Zen

Zen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:34:46 +0000

I’ll be joining the ranks of the graduated in a couple years, but I’m one of the few fortunate people to have a great job all ready – the degree is a way to get me to the next step in the ladder of “advancement.”

One thing I’d like to add though – other than the transistion from say, making $8/hr to $20/hr – don’t adjust your life just yet. Let that extra money sit in your accounts (you DO have a checking and savings, right?) and just watch that balance grow while you continue living a “Impoverished” college lifestyle.

Once you get the idea that you can save, you’ve got that fund up to a respectable amount – go out and have a night for you (or you and a friend) to really celebrate the double whammy – a new job, and a great start to a financial zen future! (<- I couldn’t resist)

Zen’s last blog post..Technical Difficulties

By: S

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:56:17 +0000

Yea, that is what I am iffy about. I am graduating in a few years and I live in Illinois and am thinking about taking a job in Texas.
Actually, the only thing stopping me is that all my family and friends live in the Chicagoland area and I’d be all alone in Texas. Any tips since I see you’ve moved?
I’d love any advice I can get.
Thank you.

By: Emily @ Taking Charge

Emily @ Taking Charge — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:19:52 +0000

Oh my gosh, I cannot even begin to tell you how much this post resonates with me. I graduated from a big state school last May, like you did (and skipped out on my graduation, too!). I wish I had been told all these things before I graduated, just to prepare, so thanks for doing this for those who are about to go through what we did.

It is really hard being on my own at entry-level pay in this horrible economy, but as my boyfriend pointed out the other night, it’s better than entering the job force during the dot-com boom, getting used to that, then seeing things go way downhill. We’re starting off during a bad time, but when things get better, we’ll know we made it through one of the more difficult times. Hopefully this gives us an edge in money management. I’m just glad I found a decent job not far out of school. If was graduating this May, it would be much harder and I’d probably have to move home with my parents for a while. I feel very fortunate that things weren’t quite so bad about a year ago. The times are challenging, but it will make us stronger.