Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. See the disclosures listed throughout for details.
At any point in your life when you are going through or about to go through a big transition there are always a million things to think about. I’ve created this list to help you take control of your life now as a student. I’ve included things that can be started right away and some things that may take some time. I do think that overall this list should help you get a good start to adulthood by focusing on your career, wellbeing, and financial future. Here are 15 things to do now to take control of your life as a student:
Learn How to Cook
If you’ve made it this far in your life and you don’t know how to cook, sooner or later it will become an issue. Either you will be eating out and spending a ton of money or you will be completely dependent on others for hot meals. Feeding yourself is just the beginning of taking care of yourself. Also, if you can cook at home, its typically healthier and it’s definitely cheaper!
Start Applying for Jobs or Internships While You’re Still in University
Disclosure: I am an affiliate for ZipRecruiter, if you decide to download and use the free app through this link, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
The sooner you have something set up for after you graduate, the sooner you can enjoy your last moments in college or university. There is always a ton of stress that builds up during the end of any semester but your last semester is a little different. That last semester is even more stressful. There is more pressure to be successful and even more pressure to find a great position after graduation.
If you can get applications in before everyone else starts to stress about life after graduation, you will hear back from employers sooner. Once your plans are finalized you will be able to plan out your next step. I recommend using sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and one of my personal favorites: ZipRecruiter.
Click here to check out ZipRecruiter!
Frame Your Diploma
Even if this is only to make your mom happy, framing your diploma is essential. Once you finally get your diploma it can be underwhelming. After all it is technically just a piece of paper. After four years of hard work, you should display your diploma and take pride in what you’ve accomplished! It may not seem like much now but you’ll want to preserve your certificate.
Think About Your Career Path
This can honestly be the hardest thing to figure out. What do you want to do? What is your passion? It can be discouraging applying to job after job and not hearing what you want to hear. But don’t forget, the first job you get is almost never the one you want to stay with. By taking control of your career you can take control of your life.
Instead try to chose one that can give you the best experience to get you the next job you’ll want. By being ‘one step ahead’ you can ensure that you keep moving along your career path. If you can’t land a paid job doing what you want to do, don’t be afraid to find a paid gig to pay the bills while working with a nonprofit or a project yourself to get the relevant experience you need.
If you have no idea what you want to do, consider making an appointment with a career advisor at your school. They have great advice and often times they are a free service to students.
Build an Interview Portfolio
To prepare for your interviews, it would be beneficial to gather your resume, samples of your work, and recommendations. When you put these all together you will be able to bring proof of your qualifications with to your interviews. If you are applying for any visual or design related positions examples of your work is essential to a successful interview.
For some positions, a portfolio may not be completely necessary, but it never hurts to be prepared. If you are prepared that will just be another way for you to stick out among the other piles of applicants.
Network Like Crazy…
No matter where you are in your career, you can always benefit from networking. Networking is a skill and therefore, to be good at it you have to practice. Practice by hitting up networking events with the intentions of just making good conversation. That way you’re not under extra pressure to succeed. You can just flex those networking muscles and get comfortable making connections with people you’ve never met.
One of the best ways to maintain connections with people is to make a LinkedIn page and continuously add people you meet. By the time you go to apply for positions you may even have met someone who works at your dream company or position! These connections can really help you land the position you want. Even if they help can get you into an entry level position with the company, your efforts have paid off, and you’re even closer to being where you want to be. You can take control of your life by preparing for your future.
Figure Out Where You Want to Be
This has always been a question I have struggled with. I will say if you have aspirations to live in another country or another state, it’s best to start planning early. My advice for this is to never limit yourself to your current location. You could be very happy somewhere else, but you’ll never know until you go. Sometimes you just find a great position you can’t turn down. Sometimes, your company has great relocation packages that allows you to move and stay with the company.
When thinking about where you want to live, I also suggest thinking about where you want to live in the future and where you want to be now. Don’t be afraid to move somewhere new. You can always move back if it doesn’t work out. Even if its for a little while, it may just be the refresh you need.
Make a Budget and Stick To It
Making a budget is the ultimate sign of adulthood. Once you get your finances figured out, you won’t need to stress so much. You’ll know what you make, what you can save, how much your living expenses are and how much is in your ‘fun budget’! Budgeting may seem like a really stressful process but it actually provides me a lot of peace and relief. By taking control of your finances you can take control of your life.
By starting with how much you make and working backwards, you won’t have to worry if you are making enough money. Sometimes your budget might be tight but you won’t have to worry about being able to pay your bills. That to me has always been a sense of relief. Especially when being out on my own for the first time. As long as you are following your budget, you are setting yourself up for financial success!
Make a Plan to Pay Off Those Loans
If you live in the US, odds are you have quite a bit of student debt. (Unless something changes). Most of the time you are able to defer your loans by 6 months after your graduation. That means you won’t have to make payments until 6 months past your graduation.
If you are close to graduation, it never hurts to get logged on and see how much debt you have total. It may be overwhelming, but remember you have 10 years to pay it off. Odds are in 10 years you will have a better job and won’t have an issue paying off your loans. From there you can select payment plans and choose the best repayment option for you.
The main reason I included this on the list is because when you make your budget, you’ll want to make sure you include payments on any loans you will be responsible to make. Paying on loans is by far the worst part of graduating.
Apply for a Credit Card
If you don’t have a credit card yet, you should apply to one to start building your credit. You will soon find that even though loans are supposed to help with your credit, most lenders or banks don’t count student loans as credit unless you are actively making payments on them. Credit cards can be dangerous but if you are responsible they are a great way to start building your financial credibility for the future. By managing and building your credit, you can take control of your life and your financial future!
If you don’t know a lot about credit, here is a crash course: You need credit for almost every life step. Good credit is required for buying a car, buying a home, renting an apartment, and taking out a loan. Credit is essentially a record of how you manage your financial responsibilities. Think of it as a money report card. Make payments on time: good. Keep your credit card balance low: great. Applying to too many credit cards in a short period of time: bad. To learn more about credit, check out Credit Karma through the links below.
Manage Your Credit
Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Credit Karma, if you decide to download and use the free app through this link, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
The best way I’ve found to manage my credit is through the Credit Karma app. Credit Karma also recommends credit cards that you would have higher chances of being approved for. Credit card balances are very important in the make-up of your credit score. If you don’t have any credit cards it poorly affects your credit. If you have credit cards that carry high balances, it hurts your credit.
Another great feature of Credit Karma is the ability to view all of your outstanding debt. It allows you to keep track of student loan balances, credit card balances, and any other loans you have. Managing your credit is important to improve you credit score but it is also a great way to ensure no one has applied for credit with your information. Managing your credit can be a way of protecting your identity.
Download Credit Karma
One of the myths out there is that Credit Karma (or other credit apps) will hurt your credit score the more times you check it. But Credit Karma won’t hurt your credit score to check your score through the app. The only time you will hurt your credit score, is when you request a complete credit report from a credit agency more that one time per year.
I love that Credit Karma helps to educate you on what makes up your credit score. The app helps by giving you tips on how to raise your credit score. Once you download the app and confirm your information through the identification verification questions, you will be able to see your credit score. Your credit score will be on a colored scale that will show you whether your score is poor, fair, good, great, or excellent!
Click here to check out Credit Karma!
Never Stop Learning New Things
Whether in your chosen field or in life, never stop learning! Continue to study and figure things out even when you’ve closed your textbooks for the last time. When you have the mindset of continuous learning you can adapt to change easier, progress in your career, get through tough situations, and inspire others to be the best they can be.
Take Care of Yourself Mentally and Physically
This is always one of my new years resolutions. Taking care of yourself will forever be the most important thing you set out to do. When you start a new job or are struggling to figure out what you want to do, stress and anxiety can take hold. But by focusing on your wellbeing, you can take control of your life!
The best way to keep you feeling 100% is to take care of yourself. Give yourself time to rest, hydrate yourself, use food as fuel that will make you feel your best every day. Make time for self care, do things that make you happy, and try to stay active.
One of my favorite motivational quotes that inspires me to take care of myself is “The greatest project you will ever work on is yourself.”
For ways to relax when you are stressed out or overwhelmed, click here to read my article!
Keep a Journal
This last one is something I try to do to keep my thoughts straight and think through some big decisions. So naturally it’s what I do when I feel I need to take control of my life. By writing down everything that comes to mind, whether it be fears, goals, or ideas, can be extremely therapeutic. It can help you to realize what you really want to do or what you are passionate about. Journaling helps you get to know yourself better. It also gives you something to look back on in the future.
Thanks for reading! Do you have any tips for recent grads or for anyone working to take control of their life? Drop them in the comments below!
