Best advice for the college graduate
Graduation is the end that sparks a new beginning. It comes with an abundance of responsibility, but more importantly, a world of freedom. My number one piece of advice to any new graduate is to milk that newfound freedom dry.
Life happens far too quickly. Before you know it, your days will be smothered in marriage, babies, careers, etc. There are a few years right now that are yours. They are for you whoever you want to share them with. If I can make one suggestion, it is to take those years, and take the person you love or a close friend or just yourself, and travel. See the world.
What? I know what you’re thinking. I have loans to start paying off now. I could never afford that. I went to college to come out and start a career. How on earth will I do something like that?
Alright. But listen. It’s possible. I know because I did it. I was as broke as you are. I have $35,000 in loans to pay off. I went to college to start a career. I know. But I will tell you this: it has been the best experience of my life and has taught me so much more than I ever learned in college. And I learned quite a bit.
So how?
BUNAC is one option. That’s what I did. It’s a program that allows Americans to travel to Britain within six months of graduation by granting them a blue card for only $290. With a blue card, you can work while you’re there. Their website is www.bunac.org. Other possibilities in that program allow recent graduates to take advantage of this same offer to and from Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
First you need a flight. There are sites now that offer insanely cheap flights. www.cheaptickets.com is one of them or if you’re like me and are lucky enough to have a parent who accumulates more frequent flyer miles than they know what to do with, you can beg for an early birthday present
BUNAC is so cheap to participate in because you find your own housing and job. But they do help you by posting work up on the boards in their office and you can use their address in the beginning and also their internet connections.
Finding a house and job can start from home, but many people spend the first few nights in a cheap hostel.
Great websites for housing differ between countries, of course, but I used:
www.findaflatmate.com
www.gumtree.com
http://flatshare.timeout.com
For a job, I searched on:
www.craigslist.com
www.monster.co.uk
www.guardian.co.uk
www.gumtree.com
In the end, I found both a job and a flat on Gumtree.
The best advice is to be flexible and take any job even if it isn’t in your field because it is temporary. If you do find a job in your field, however, they may agree to sponsor you and you will then be allowed to stay longer than your allocated six months.
While you’re working abroad, travel on weekends as much as possible. Seeing the world, the way other people live and work, will give you a different outlook on life and probably whip up a serious case of wanderlust that is difficult to cure.
And just think, if you come to London where I am living now, you’ll be making ’s, which are currently worth about twice as much as $$’s. That that, evil student loans!
