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What is life like after college?

What is it like leaving college having a job in the field you studied and living on your own? Is it hard to buy a house after you graduate? What’s the best way to save money and build credit in college while also paying normal expenses and for college? #help #scacred #confused #college #money

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Ken’s Answer

Life after college depends greatly upon how you plan your education/career journey starting as soon as possible. College does not have to create great student debt. One can approach college as any business expense with an eye to economy. Also, taking advantage of professional associations to which people working in your chosen career area belong can provide important networking connections which will help you through your education and through your career years. Many times these associations have or know of internships, coop programs, scholarships, and other financial assistance plans which might help with your education. Through my years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I have developed these steps which will assist a person in having a positive experience during and after college. First, here is an important video for you to watch, which emphasizes the fact that it really does not matter where you go to college: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education<span style="color: rgb(103, 106, 108);"> </span>

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Ken recommends the following next steps:

Treat the college expense as any other and try to economize as much as possible to prevent very high college debt, which is very difficult to repay. ## http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml ##
It is very important for you to become focused as early as possible. The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ## This will not only assist you in determining the proper choice of career, but it will enable you to start to form a professional career networking group which will benefit you in many ways throughout your education/career journey.
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ## These groups are how professionals keep with advances in their career field which continually makes them more valuable to their employers. Also, these groups are the main ways that people advance in their careers by finding new positions from other members which allows them to grow in their career area.
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Katie’s Answer

Life after college can take some adjustment--some big and some small. Each person's experience is different because college and after college can vary so greatly.


When I was in school, I tried not to schedule early morning classes, and I was very much a night owl. My first job after school required me to be at work at 7:00 am. It also seemed really weird to me to go home at 3:30 and not take any work with me because I was getting paid by the hour. Luckily, I had co-oped so that made the transition into the workforce easier.


If your first after college job requires you to move to a new city or state, it can be a little lonely especially if you lived with friends. Many companies offer after work activities including sports and volunteer opportunities that can be a great way for you to meet people and discover more about your new home. My mother would also encourage you to find a new local place of worship as a way to to meet new people.


The ability to buy a house after graduating from school really depends on your local housing market and what type of house you want to buy. I was able to buy a house 2 years after graduating from college in a suburb of Columbia, SC. Unfortunately, I had to sell it less than a year later when I got the opportunity for a bigger role in a different state. Before buying a house, you may want to think about how long you plan to live in your first after college location
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Simeon’s Answer

If you get a solid job after you graduate, qualifying to buy a house usually isn't that difficult, but you'll want to make sure that it's a financially sound decision for you. Besides your income, you'll want to look at if it's better to rent or buy in a given city. You'll want to look at their price to rent ratio to see which way you want to go.

If you're interested in getting good credit, many banks and credit unions offer a credit builder loan, essentially giving you a small loan with small interest to pay back just for the sake of putting something on your credit record. Businesses tend to have a hard time giving loans to people with no credit history at all, which I always found surprising given you have to start out somewhere. Luckily, for cars, a lot of car places are offering deals for recent graduate that help them get a great financing plan without a credit history.

If you can manage to do so both during and after college, I recommend splitting the cost of renting a house with a group of friends. You can save a ton of money on rent and food while ya'll take time to get on your feet. Plus, it can be really fun to live with friends to boot. Just make sure ya'll all set clear expectations up front.
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