A Year in the Real World Six New Grads Weigh In on Life After College

A Year in the Real World Six New Grads Weigh In on Life After CollegeA Year in the Real World Six New Grads Weigh In on Life After CollegeIn June 2013, Simply Hired brought on a team of new college grads. Most of them started a few weeks after their college graduation. This June, we checked in with them to see what theyve learned in the past year, how theyve changed, and what advice they have for others who are just starting out.Heres what they saidAdapting to life on the jobIn school its more sporadic, you go class for a few hours, have homework on these days. Now free time is more limited. Im going to work at the same time everyday, eating at the same time, going to the gym at the same time. Its a lot more structured. AriannaThe best part is no homework On Sundays I dont think about that I have to go to the library for five hours. I can do whatever I want with that day. DylanFiguring out what to do socially welches a change. In school there welches always homework to think about. Now I go to the gym after work or go to happy hour with my friends. JoyThe hardest thing to adapt to welches working for eight hours. In the beginning, my brain would start to melt at about 300. But now I can work all day and be productive. When things come up, I can now work long hours. Ive done a few 12-13 hour days no problem. JustinIts tough to work on 4 hours of sleep a night. Its one thing to go to class. Its another to work for 8 hours. DylanI feel like college was this incredible experience and I learned so much about so many things, and then once I left, I felt like I didnt know anything. I dont think anyone prepares you for life after college in the way my friends and I experienced it. No one tells you how hard the first year is. Youre learning how to live life on your own, how to be in a big girl job, pay your rent, manage your time, manage your money, make your own decisions, but kind of mucksmuschenstill listen to your parents, and also you have to answer to your bo ss. No one really tells you, you just have to figure it out as time goes by. AriannaCollege was a breeze compared to being an adult. The real world is humbling. Working has helped me become a better human. I realized I can help people in a greater way than I thought, and I might be able help people in ways I dont even know yet. AndreThe power of sticking with itThe commute was really hard to adapt to. The first few months were tough. Every day I came in frustrated, but eventually learned to enjoy it instead of fight it. DylanYou cant just not show up when you dont feel like it. Ive learned that doing things I didnt want to do makes me more disciplined. You can show up every day and get better at it. It surprised me that I could enjoy doing this and be good at it. AndrePatience is a necessary quality to have. In sales, you have to contact people several times, and you wonder why they dont get back to you. Patience is also really important when going through organizational changes , when everything is not clearly defined. JoyWhen I started out, I didnt know it was normal to feel as lost as I did. I felt like maybe I had lucked into a job I didnt deserve, because everyone sounded so smart and knew all these technologies Id never heard of. My manager eventually told me that every engineering job is like that for the first few months. Now Im leading projects and now helping make high-level architectural decisions with senior engineers. JustinIt was surprising to see the people on our team that left. It seems better to stick with something you dont like until you find something you really want to do, than to go from something you dont like to something you dont like. DylanDont give up at the first sign of your life not being in this perfect box. Just because youre struggling, you cant quit in the first months. When summers over youre still workingwhen the holidays roll around, youre still working. You cant take all that time off. You have to power through it. Its so fulfilling when you get through that first work struggle. It takes a lot of initiative to talk to your boss when youre struggling, but they can help you. Dont give up and just try to get another job. AriannaAdvice for new grads in their first jobsIf youre too scared to do what you want to do, you can still fail at what you dont want to do. So you should really think about what you want. DylanKeep a business journal. Business is done through personal connections. I make notes about who I meet, where I met them, and the context. Then months later I can go back and make connections. DillonOpen a savings account immediately, set an auto deposit, and dont look at it. Pretty soon Ill have enough to travel. DylanIn school there is not much regret about decisions. The decisions you make now impact you far more personally than the decisions you make in school. DillonAdvice to new grads looking for a jobNetworking with alumni is really important. Everyone is so connected. Have inf ormational interviews, and learn as much as you can. Dive in and talk to people. AriannaMake aya you know what the job entails. Ask about responsibilities, room for growth, what other team people are doing, where theyve ended up after one year. JoyIf you make that decision to commute more than an hour each way, make sure you really want to do that thing. DillonBe picky with the job you take- dont settle. If you have a little bit of time, take it. Wait for what you want, dont take a job just to take a job. DylanThink critically and comprehensively about places youre looking at, utilize every source you can. Use Yahoo Finance, LinkedIn, research everything surrounding the company. A few of the companies I applied to had bad things happen. Im lucky that I ended up at good company. Research will make you content with where you end up. DillonBe aggressive about your future. Use LinkedIn. Reach out to people, send messages, say youre interested. Have your parents pay for LinkedIn Prem ium. Get involved with your community. Every little bit counts. AndreThe company isnt just interviewing you, you are interviewing the company. I have some friends hate who their jobs. Make sure to know as much you can about the culture, think about whether you would really enjoy it. JustinJoin us in congratulating Joy, Arianna, Dillon, Justin, Dylan, and Andre on their first year of employment after college. We wish them all the best for the future