Post-Grad Survival Guide: Don’t Limit Yourself

When I graduated school I had one goal in mind: To make $15/hour.

That’s $600/week, and $31,200/year. Before taxes. Just to be clear with ya’ll, my degree must’ve cost me twice that amount of money.

I make that amount now through freelancing, and it just dawned on me that I’m making that because I put a limit on myself. Why didn’t I think bigger? It’s probably because I didn’t think I was worth $20/hour or something. My bar was $15/hour, and I’ve reached it.

One of the things I’ve learned is that whatever you think your worth is what you’ll make. Whatever position you think your worth, you’ll get. It’s that simple.

So don’t be sheepish.

Dream big, work hard, and you’ll end up getting exactly what you want.

Don’t limit yourself.

Post-Grad Survival Guide: Unplug

I really, really like this segment! This has become one of the cornerstones of my blog and I’m super excited about that.

Anyway, this week is about taking breaks from your work.

My sister is a PA and sometimes she gets calls and texts from the Doctor she works with after work. That’s cool and all, except that it’s not cool.

We need to unplug. We need to take a break from our job when we’re done. That means not thinking about it on our off days, either. Don’t stress about it, and literally don’t even think about it either!

But let’s take this further.

The other day I went to the Gym without my phone. Not on my own accord, mind you, but because my phone was dead.

It ended up being the best gym experience I’ve had in a while, and I was super tired! I was practically running around the gym doing every exercise I could. I also started to notice things.

I noticed the ambiance, the weights clinking together, that one guy in the corner who was wearing a literal polo shirt, and my own thoughts bouncing around the walls of my mind. I was actually getting lost for a second.

What happens when we’re constantly with technology is that our minds never take a break. They never wander. It’s a freeing thing to unplug, to let our minds wander about for a little bit.

You will not believe how much this helps, guys. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just unplug for a little while. It will make a world of difference for you.

What do you do to unplug? Let me know in the comments section below!!

Post-Grad Survival Guide: Don’t Tell Everyone Everything

Don’t tell everyone everything. Now, this doesn’t mean what you think. I’m not talking about lying or being dishonest with people; I’m simply saying that you don’t need to constantly tell people all the things that are happening in your life. ESPECIALLY if you change your mind a lot–like me.

I love telling people what’s going on in my life. Who doesn’t? We like to have recognition when we accomplish things or get that interview. But what if things fall through? Then we look like morons quite honestly.

This has happened to me a lot lately, and I think I’ve finally learned my lesson. I don’t need to tell everyone the inner workings of my life. If I get an interview, I’ll just keep it to myself. If I get a job, I’ll keep it to myself. Because when I tell everybody everything, they start to think that I have a hard time committing to stuff.

Look man, I’m almost 23 years old (tomorrow’s my birthday), I never said I’d have everything figured out, okay? I’m relying on my feelings and a little bit of logic for my decisions, and it’s tough to know which decision is the right one.

So while I figure out what I want to do, I’m going to keep things to myself. If you’re about to graduate and are reading this, GREAT. Don’t feel like you have to constantly keep people in the loop on things. When you find the right job, then you can tell anybody you want–but while you’re still unsure, don’t tell a soul.

The whole purpose of this series is to help recent college grads just like me. I’m beyond perfect, but I do learn a few things, and if these words can help just one other person, then I’m happy beyond comprehension.

 

Post-Grad Survival Guide: Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

One thing that always gets me down is comparing myself to my graduating class. On the flip-side, it’s sometimes calming to compare myself to those who are right beside me, having a hard time too.

I really shouldn’t do either of these things, and you shouldn’t either.

It makes you feel shitty

First of all, it just doesn’t do you any good to feel shitty about your progress. I could compare myself to other entrepreneurs my age making millions, but I don’t. You know why? Because I don’t expect to make that much money anyway.

What do I really expect? For a while I expected getting a 40k/year job straight outta college.  Did that happen? Absolutely not. Did that happen for other people? Yes–in fact, some are making 60k per year. And then I’m down the rabbit hole of self-pity.

Expectations suck

Stop with the expectations, people.

They’re a constant reminder of where you’re not at and they detract from the present. Enjoy today. Enjoy this struggle. Focus on getting there, not on why you’re not there.

Money means nothing anyway

The amount of money you make means nothing. Besides, you could ace an interview tomorrow and be starting your 60k/year job by next week.

We all have good and bad aspects of our life–don’t choose to be captivated by a number, or a job title.

It distracts you from your work

Catching up on people’s lives via Facebook or LinkedIn is distracting. It literally serves no purpose. Now you know they’re the new CEO of Apple. Focus on your own work instead!

You’re getting where you’re going despite them

You’re going to get wherever you want to go. It might take ten years, it might take five. It might happen tomorrow. Either way, it doesn’t matter what they’re doing. It only matters what you’re doing.

Stick with your story! It’s going to be a fantastic one.

 

Post-Grad Survival Guide: Apply To Exciting Places

Since I liked writing my previous “Post-Grad Survival Guide” post, I think I’ll do another one! One thing that always picks me up is applying to places that excite me. Like Disney.

I want to be a cast member again so bad, and applying for part-time work at Disney always makes me excited and hopeful.

We should shoot for the stars, right? All it takes is one great interview and you’re working at the place of your dreams.

Think brands, think jobs, and think location!

Want to work at Google? Apply there! I found that when I got my interview at Disney for the college program I stepped my game up accordingly. My excitement to work there was through the roof, so I prepared by writing five pages of notes on possible questions.

I scoured the internet and read every blog post I could about the interview, and I absolutely aced it! You might not think it would be a good use of your time to apply to places like Google, or Apple, or Disney, but that’s kind of what everybody else is thinking, too.

Apply. Be excited. Have a little bit of hope. Live the life you want and work where you want!

Think jobs, too. Do you want to be a marketing coordinator? Do you want to write copy? Okay, I know these are all marketing related but that’s my thing. Be the next Don Draper and apply.

Lastly, think about location. Where we live doesn’t mean everything, but it sure can help. My best friend went to New York City to live and he absolutely loves it. Location is key, too.

I hope some of you are inspired and decide to apply to some bangin’ places. I hope it makes you feel awesome too.

Post-Grad Survival Guide: Patience

A goal of this blog is to provide inspiration for those who recently graduated and want to take control of their own lives. I’ve been able to have sporadic success on my own as a freelance writer, but that doesn’t mean I have off periods!

It’s only right that I show both sides of my struggle–and honestly all graduates go through both good and bad times.

I think I have the most trouble with patience. I keep thinking about where I want to be instead of how far I’ve come. Have you done the same?

Chances are you’ve come so long since you graduated whether that was a year, two years, or three years ago, but you may be focused on landing a “better job.” Don’t do that! It takes a lot of hard work to get that perfect job–it won’t come overnight.

While it’s so awesome to demand the most out of ourselves, we also have to give ourselves a break when we’re really feeling the heat. We’re trying, aren’t we?

I’m not even a year out from graduating and I’m trying to build my own standalone copywriting business. Every day I make new mistakes. Every day I’m learning how to do new things. Sometimes I let that negative self-talk get to me, but I shouldn’t!

Many successful copywriters that I look up to are twice my age. You may be trying to start your own business too, and trust me the success won’t come overnight.

We’re in the “grinding” stage of our lives right now. This is just my reminder to everyone to have a little patience. And I’m not saying that because I think I’m better than you, in fact, I’m probably doing much worse financially than most of my peers. I’m just saying that to encourage you guys and put some positive energy back into the mix!

Thanks for reading!