Your twenties are no doubt your best years! Sure you’ve heard this statement several times and probably think you know what it means. However, while the majority of views postulate that your 20s are your make it or break it years, but these are the years to learn about yourself, to grow into you, to discover the world from a whole different perspective, among other things. Your 20s are an opportunity to learn both harsh and beneficial lessons, that will help you as you discover who you are.
There’s so much pressure that comes with graduating from college, so relax and do what you want during this time as you learn along the way. Just because a certain way of doing things worked out well for somebody else, there’s no guarantee that it will work out the same way for you. Therefore, establish your own way of doing things and learn from your mistakes as you progress, at least this way you’ll know what works and what doesn’t.
Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Why Now Is the Time to Crush It: Cash in your passion, among other books, suggests that graduating from college shouldn’t stress you. Instead, he says “realize that you are entering the greatest 5-year window of your life.” While to some extent this may be true, Gary also suggests the need to work hard during your 20s. There is a lot to think about. So, what if you sacrifice all these years and don’t get satisfaction from the results? Will it all be a waste of time? What happens next? Do you start over? There are so many questions that come up once you start thinking about this method.
What if you sacrifice your 20s, some of the most exciting years of your life, in building a career or business only to find out it’s not worth it? Life doesn’t have a redo button, which you can press once things start falling apart. Use the period after graduation to determine if the career you thought you’ve always wanted is still what you really want.
This may have turned out to be fulfilling for Gary, but it’s not a guarantee that it will be for you too. Create your own success story, build your skill set, and learn different perspectives while you still can to avoid future regrets.
Now that you’ve accomplished something great, getting your degree, it’s time to figure out what you are good at in life, how your education contributes to this. and how to achieve the right skills that best suit the career you’ll take.
Take the time after college to build your skills. People pay for your skills. When you finally decide to venture into a nine-to-five job, you’ll realize that you’re getting paid for skills to do something that other people can’t.
Hone your skills with regards to your interests and career path. The world is filled with talented people who are constantly improving what they know. This is a challenge for you, so, you need to hone the relevant skills so that you stand out in the job market.
It’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses (areas you need to work and improve on) to thrive and earn a living, build a business, or just for fulfillment in general. As you figure out what you are great at, you’ll also learn about the things you’re passionate about. It may be difficult at first but you can do it. Consider the things that you willingly participate in and get fulfillment from, this is where your passion lies.
Knowing your strengths gives you a starting point in the direction you need to move, it builds your confidence and helps to become passionate about something. Usually, people tend to be excited about things they are good at. If your strength lies in creativity and determination, use them to achieve what you’ve set your mind to.
Many people believe in taking risks, failing, and learning from failure, but don’t let failure determine what you’re good at. Be honest with yourself from the start and realize what you’re good at. You have very limited time to keep on trying and failing. Instead, note down the two things you know you’re good at and perfect them even further.
Know what you’re good at, whether it’s painting, farming, creativity [you name it], take note of it and perfect it. Eventually, you’ll be able to turn it into something lucrative. The main aim of figuring out your strengths is to turn them into opportunities that will benefit you.
We live in a world that is rapidly changing. Learning is vital to keep up with the changes by refreshing our skills and knowledge so as to remain relevant in the industry of our choice.
Learning should never stop. Take up non-profit jobs, or even non-paying part-time jobs, anything that will provide you with the opportunity to learn and grow. After all, we need to start somewhere, right? Moreover, what better time to do this than after college, when you have the least responsibilities?
Alternatively, you can enroll in online courses or buy books. Just polish your knowledge about the things you’re interested in through learning. There are hundreds of resources online, which you can use to perfect your knowledge and skills, of which some are freely available. For instance, if you’ve ever considered doing something along the lines of digital marketing, you can create an account with some companies online and get free classes to master your craft.
Build your skill set by grabbing every opportunity to build on your experience. For instance, if you’re interested in becoming a freelance writer, consider looking for companies who want to pay for your writing skills: Also, this can be an excellent opportunity for you to make money and start saving for a long term or short term goal. This is a good opportunity to build your experience and skills because you’ll come to realize the expectations of the industry and how best to achieve them.
Consider your post-grad years as the time to build your skills, through reading, taking up seasonal or part-time jobs. Just learn and develop your experience! Consider the learning process as a form of investment aimed at helping you once you decide to start building a career.
In the real world, no one is watching you, ensure that you do the right thing. It’s important to start being accountable for your actions. Always aim to be the best in everything that you do and make a habit of it. Ultimately, doing extra will become part of you and make you stand out.
Always do at least 10% beyond what is expected. This should be your mantra in life. Every time you feel like you’ve done enough, there’s more that can be done, add 10% more: The extra makes you stand out.
Why? The majority of people go through life just trying to achieve the bare minimum. However, the ones who go above and beyond, even when it’s not necessary, end up standing out. Start practicing this aspect early on in life and by the time you get into employment, it will a part of you, meaning that it’ll give you an edge over other people.
The majority of people have goals, short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. How to achieve these goals is the problem. After college, you can have many goals such as moving out of your parents’ house, starting a business or to explore the world, but how do you achieve these? Your goal needs to be S.M.A.R.T for it to be achievable.
For instance, if your goal is to build your skills and experience after college. Your goal needs to be S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely). Remember, that you’ll not be in your 20s forever. Therefore, plan how you’re going to make the best of your post-grad years and learn the relevant skills, as well as attain experience to use later in your life. To achieve a goal, it needs to be specific and conform to smart goal setting, this way it’s easier for you to achieve them within the set timeline.
Do a goal mapping exercise to illustrate your primary goal, other subsidiary goals, the time span for achieving your objectives, and how you plan to achieve these goals. In your case, this would be to gain valuable skills and experience after you’ve graduated from college before you decide to focus on your career.
Remember, there are billions of people all over the world who have or are learning the same skills as you. It’s a jungle out there! The shorter time you take the better. There are several other goals that you need to focus on, so there’s really no time to waste.
Life after college is a crucial time for everyone. All the people you graduated with are busy reinventing themselves and have no time to waste, just like you. Be open to the idea that you may lose a lot of your college friends during this period. Focus on the big picture, your goals, and you’ll know where to invest your time. You know who you want to be, you know the kind of person you want to be like. So, don’t spend time with the wrong people. Different people have different goals and not everyone adds value to your life. However, don’t burn bridges, as you may still need them in the future.
Don’t expect that you will achieve your goals if you spend half the day with people who are all about chilling on the couch, watching TV. The best way to ensure that the people in your circle are like-minded is to create distinctions and categorize the people in your life: Those who add value (make you think outside the box, make you enroll in a new class or help you to achieve your goals), and those ones who are there for the fun stuff.
You have to get out there, find like-minded people, e.g. a mentor to help you achieve your goals. A mentor will be an asset to you since he or she knows the ins and out of the industry you’re interested in, and they can show you how to create a network of like-minded people. The real world is about networking and leaving a mark everywhere you go. Be smart about it and use the opportunities at your disposal to know how best to do this.
The thought of getting your apartment is enticing after college, but are you ready to take care of yourself financially? Don’t be fooled that life out there, in the real world, is easy. The freedom and independence from college might make you think you’re ready to get your own place, but don’t rush it. For most of us, we don’t have to worry about bills, tuition fees, rent or anything else, hence why life is easy in college. Before making the decision to move out, think about it critically. Take as much time as possible, this is a major decision and requires some thought.
However, if you decide to move out, it means you’re on your own – rent, utilities, groceries, everything! You’ll need to take care of it. Therefore, you need to have a stable source of income to be in a better position to take care of yourself, once you move out.
Give yourself a deadline to move out of your parents’ house. During this time, plan and save for when you eventually need to move out. You can’t live at your parents’ house forever, make the essential plans in advance so that when the time comes, it will be easy on you.
Don’t be scared to get out of your comfort zone after college. If you didn’t know about what no one tells you about life after college, that’s okay at least no do. Follow the list above after graduating, and in no time you’ll have a goal map which shows you exactly where to go, what to do and how to do it. Becoming a success in life, or your career is all up to you, and there’s a no-one-size-fits-all formula that offers success on a silver platter. So, work for the life that you want! If you look at anyone who you consider successful, they put in extra effort to achieve their success. Therefore, working hard to achieve your goals in life post-graduation is important.
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