Advice For New Grads In 2022

Graduating from college and starting your ‘real life’ can be such a scary time in your life. But I promise, it isn’t as scary as you may think it is. Here is some advice for new grads in 2022.

Let go of fear
This is probably going to be one of the scariest times of your life. Let go of the fear and know that it’s going to be okay no matter how scared you are. 

Start networking
Network. You absolutely need to start Networking. It is going to be so beneficial for you to start creating relationships sooner rather than later. It’s all about who you know. 

Don’t be so hard on yourself
Nowadays it’s easy to get frustrated with yourself if you feel like you don’t have it all figured it. Trust me when I say, no one has it all figured out even a year after graduation. Give yourself grace and allow yourself to make mistakes.

Start preparing for your future
I know it may seem like you deserve a break after all the schooling and education you just endured. Enjoy a small break, but start preparing for your future sooner rather than later. Start networking, start taking on new experiences, internships and opportunities. It will teach you discipline, motivation, and time management – all skills you will need to master in order to be successful in your chosen career.

Your 1st job probably isn’t going to be your dream job, or your forever job
You will probably use this job as a stepping stone to help get you to exactly where you want to be. It may not be your dream job, but use it as motivation and practice to help develop your skills that will make you successful in your next adventure.

It’s not about the money
I can’t stress this enough. Follow your heart and do what you want. You can’t spend the rest of your life working at a job you hate just because the money is good. I can’t stress this enough. 

Push yourself and get out of your comfort zone
I was someone who really broke out of my shell during college. But if you didn’t, now is the time to really push yourself and take those chances. You are preparing for the rest of your life, and in order to get what you want, you need to jump into those uncomfortable situations. You have to become comfortable with feeling some discomfort. 

Never Stop learning
Just because all of your exams and late night study sessions are over, doesn’t mean it is time to stop learning. Continue to grow and learn about what you are interested in. Unfortunately, it’s now all about teaching yourself. But remember you are more than capable of doing it on your own.

Learn about money and start saving for retirement
Unfortunately I was never taught how important this was. (I still have very minimal knowledge and am learning every day). If I can pick one piece of advice from this list is the most important (in my opinion), it is this one. If you never learned about finances or much about starting the retirement savings process, start teaching yourself and start learning about it asap. 

Don’t compare your journey to anyone else you graduated with
Everyone’s paths are so different, and it will do no good if you are comparing your post-graduation journey to those around you. Focus on you and the rest of YOUR life. 

You can check out my blog post “What being in a sorority taught me”.

You can check out my blog post “What I would tell myself before starting college”

If you are looking for more advice as a new grad check out Indeed’s Top 25 Pieces of Advice for New College Graduates.