As a student you probably would not believe us if we tell you that are absolutely naive and no, you are not on top of the world.
You will soon graduate from the university, service year is going to be awesome (at least according to the stories you’ve heard).
After service, you are going to get a job, have a family, build a home, become a millionaire and live
happily ever after.
There is just one problem with your plan. The only
problem with your plan is the real world.
This article is to lets students know things to look
out for before they graduate so they don’t get
railroaded.
1. A Degree Does Not Entitle You To A Job
We all know getting a degree means a lot of hard
work and commitment but because you have a
degree does not mean somebody is going to grant
you an automatic job offer.
Gone are the days when all you needed to get a
good job was a university degree.
We were all told the same lies in secondary
school, get a university degree and a mouth
watering job would fall on your lap.
The smart people are the ones who figured out this
lie early in school and made sure the time they
spent in school would separate from other
students who were busy enjoying school life to the
fullest.
It’s time to get your head out of the sand.
2. Start The Job Search Before You Graduate
Job hunting is a complicated thing and there is no
almighty formula for you to acquire a job. Job
seeking is not something you can “cram” for and
pour out everything during an exam. There are no
cheat notes for post-graduation experience.
The job hunting business is an on-the-training
experience and the best way to get ahead of your
colleagues is to start your career exploration
during your service year or better yet during your
university days.
You can research branches of your field, do
internships (industrial trainings), find out what size
of company is for you, and practice job searching
techniques.
Put these tips in play and by the time you’re done
with service, you’ll be prepared for the next phase
of your life and it will be quite tricky for reality to
hit you with tons of bricks.
3. Facebook Is Forever
Not just facebook, but twitter, instagram, and every
other social network that you decide to be a part
of.
What does this mean to an average student? Well it
means that every obscure joke you post on
Facebook, every explicit picture you share, every
inappropriate comment will be visible to the world
when you become famous or when you go job
hunting.
At the very least, know how to manipulate your
social media privacy settings and restrain yourself
from littering your social media accounts with
unfitting content.
Being appropriate on the web is just as important
for a political career as it is for finding
employment. Your binge drinking photos might be
funny now but they won’t be so hilarious in five
years time.
4. Life Is Expensive
You are probably surviving on the allowance you receive from your parents right now and you’ve realized that life can be expensive, EXPENSIVE.
Just wait until you have to live on your own, probably during service year or when you get your first job.
By the time you pay for house rents, transportation
fare, recharge cards, light bills, water bills, food,
utilities, and every miscellaneous expense. It won’t
take long before you realize that life is expensive.
Everything would suddenly become so expensive
that you would sometimes feel like crying.
This is one of the most painful things to learn.
EVERYTHING costs money.
Anytime from now, you should learn how to create
a budget for yourself. Otherwise your rent will be
due, your kitchen will be empty and you will be
busy dodging from the people you owe money.
5. Never Be Scared To Take Chances
This is probably the most important lesson you
have to learn before you graduate, never be scared
to take chances. You’ll never get anywhere you
want if you don’t take calculated risks every now
and then.
No one is telling you to jump out of a plane or go
swimming with crocodiles (which would be
awesome if you survive), but nothing in life comes
easy. Yes, it is cliché, but it the hard truth. After
all, nothing can deputize experience.
When you become a graduate, the best option is
not becoming a boring office robot whose life
revolves around work.
Your twenties and thirties are the some of the best
years of your life, we kid you not.
Do not be afraid to face the real world with open
arms, explore opportunities, and take chances.
You’ll be surprised at what fate has in stock for
you.
6. Learn How To Interact With People
Learning how to interact is a very valuable skill
you need to have in your belt. It is a “street smart”
skill. You could read a million books on how to
interact with people but the only way to develop
your interaction skill is to put it into practice
constantly until it becomes a part of you.
This skill will surely be tested each time you go
for a job interview. Heck! You even need this job
more if you are an entrepreneur.
Learn to greet people with a smile. Say “thank you,
please and I appreciate” whenever the situation
deems necessary. These small gestures go a long
way to make a huge difference. Don’t be so quick
to dismiss the power of appreciation and courtesy.
Make small talk, get to know anyone you have to
spend more than thirty minutes with, help them if
you can. Who knows? You might meet your own
saviour.
Don’t know what to talk about? You could talk
about the TV shows you watch, the cool blogs you
visit on the net (don’t forget to mention
giftedgreen.com ), the weather – hint hint : ).
Learn to be always positive, make sure people
smile after talking to you.
7. A Skill Will Get You Farther Than A Certificate
What we recommend is that you pick up as many
skills as possible, as long as you have a passion
for it. Do not say “I am studying English Language,
why do I need to learn HTML?” If you are computer
major, take a couple of management trainings. It
will help you in the long run.
The skills you acquire do not necessarily have to
be educational; you could learn tailoring, baking,
programming, carpentry . . . anything. You never
know when your minor skill will become your
added advantage, or your primary source of
income.
Not only that, you will be able to converse with a
larger variety of different people, plus it shows
your employer that you are a fast and versatile
learner.
8. Save Something – Anything
Start saving now and you’ll be setting the
foundation of your financial future.
There is always a need to save, even if it is the
tiniest bit each month. Like we said earlier, life is
expensive and the best way to be prepared is for
you start saving right now.
Whether it’s for a big purchase, an emergency or
for your future it’s important to have a little money
for fall back to during rainy days. Trust us, those
days will come.
9. You Are Going To Need Lots Of Hardwork
You are now a graduate, you no longer need to
read through the night, attend boring lectures and
write difficult examinations. Your life should be an
easy pie from here. Right? Wrong.
In fact, this is the time that you need to work
harder than you imagined, if you want to be
successful.
Although you could relax; get a federal government
appointment, and retire on your pension. This is
perfect, if you want to be mediocre.
Are you are among those that want to be
successful? In order to do that, you are going to
need a lot of brain work, stay up late at nights and
lots of reading if you are going to be among the
1%.
Even if your father is a billionaire, it’s a lot of hard work maintaining all that money.
10.Success Takes Time
After applying all these, do not expect to become a
millionaire overnight, or in a week or in a month.
Success takes time.
No matter the amount of hard work, Success takes
time.
If you are in a hurry to be successful, you will
either fall prey to money swindlers or get yourself
entangled in something highly illegal. Neither of
them sounds good.
That’s all for now!
You don’t have to wait until you graduate to gain
these little nuggets of wisdom. Put them to use!
Then start collecting some of your own. Already have something to add? Leave them in the comment section below.
