10 things I wish I knew before graduating

In honor of my 10 year anniversary of my high school graduation, I want to share 10 things I wish I knew before graduating.

If you are a high school graduate congratulations on an accomplishment that was set by society standards.

First I want to say no matter if you are taking a gap year, going to college or working a job it’s your journey & you can decide your destination.

Society pushes these standards of milestones onto 17 & 18 years like go to college, get married, have kids, get in more & more debt just so they can keep you over worked & underpaid.

I am here to share with you things I wish I knew that could have helped me back then. 10 things about the real world that I learned on my own because school doesn’t teach us.

1. If you go to college pick a major that is going to help you acquire a skill & fill in the gaps so you will always be an asset & have a job. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy don’t feel compelled to work for yourself so quickly!

2. Build an emergency fund. Job security is not a thing jobs will fire you without a notice. Save at least 3 to 6 months of funds that will cover your expenses if anything was to happen.

3. Don’t be loyal to a job, always find opportunities to make more money & create the life you want. Build streams of income, no matter passive or active & you can even have side hustles .

4. In this technology/ digital era you don’t have to live in the city you work in or sometimes the country. With remote work you can work from anywhere if you want to be an expat figure out what your skill is and get a computer & live life to the beat of your own drum.

5. Network: stay connected with your counselors, teachers, coaches & bosses & professor. These will be people you can use as references, possibly letters of recommendations & or mentorship!

6. If you don’t want to go to college it’s okay figure out your goals and create the life you want. You can be successful no matter what path you choose to take.

7. This summer let it be the best summer ever you just graduated treat yourself. If you want to travel, then do just that, tap into your passions do something creative or just something that brings you enjoyment.

8. Your life is just that yours live to make your self proud & by making yourself proud your loved ones should oblige.

9. Always stay true to yourself, your morals & your values build genuine relationships with people.

10. Don’t let social media make you feel like you are behind. It is just seconds & moments of clips people share online never the real & vulnerable hardships.

I hope these 10 things will help you or resonate with you in this season of life. If you know a recent grad please share this with them! If you like this topic please like and comment below and tell me your post grad plans!

If you want future topics like this please let me know in the comments!! Also if you want to learn more about adulting I have a podcast called Millennial Thoughts & you can take a listen these are the topics I frequently talk about!