5 Things You Shouldn’t Do After Getting That Diploma

I have enumerated these 10 things according to my belief and experiences as a young professional. Anything below might be used against me. I think that’s okay because these are mine. Please read on because you may share some of them, too. *wink*

1. Entertain your desperate need to get a job. 

   Desperation will get you just about anywhere, even somewhere you do not wish to be in. Just because your classmates and friends are getting theirs does not mean you have to get yours, too. I know you dreamed of this a long time ago – finishing college and getting your dream job. But I want you to know that it will come. And before it does, you have to get yourself ready. Try to get all the Government and Non Government ID’s you can get or maybe your passport (if you have not processed it yet). These things are very important. After getting a job, you may not have the time to get them. Plus, your future company will be asking you for them.

2. Accept the first job where you had your first interview.

   Unless that first interview is in your dream company, by all means please do not sign that contract easily. Try to evaluate your goal. Where do you really want to work in? What kind of job do you wish to be assigned with? Will this company help you grow as a professional, as a person? How much salary does the company give for entry levels? Ask around, gather data from your group of friends or seniors in your college. Information is power, my friend. You do not want to be jumping from one company to another trying to answer my questions earlier.

3. Leave your college friends behind.

   Friends in Facebook or Twitter are no match for friends you actually spent some years with. They are basically your family. Give them the love that they deserve for putting up with you. As they say, love to be loved. Never think of them as competition, even during interviews. They are allies, dude, allies do not fight.

4. Forget to have fun.

   You must be up on your toes worried that you may not get that job. Seriously, that job will come at you smacking you in the face if you don’t stop being so uptight. Learn to have fun while waiting. And while doing that, try to build your happy place (things that let you pass time). This happy place may be something that will keep you sane after getting that job. Trust me when I say, you have never known stress until you be in your job for a year or two.

5. Be financially awkward.

   We get jobs because we want to earn money. Normal people do not go to school for a long time just to improve their knowledge level. Normal people like us went to school to get that diploma and show it to our future company. “Hey, I’m a graduate, hire me.” If we want to earn so badly, are we not supposed to know how to handle it? There are books and seminars that educate people on financial planning. Please be curious. Please do not hesitate to learn about it. Among all the subjects we studied in school, this will be the most useful one, out there, in real life.