So I Graduated...Now What?

I was dumbfounded when I graduated from college. I seriously didn't have a clue what to do. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to be, but that was just it: a vague idea. So I went to grad school. But before I knew it, graduation was looming before me again, and I had to make a game plan.

I won't lie. I didn't do any of these when I first graduated. (Well, the job. I did have a job.) And my first six months would have been more...everything! More comfortable, more active, more fun, less lonely-you get the picture. So without further ado, here are five tips for the new college graduate.

1. Get a job. Duh. But the sad truth of the matter is that that's not a 'duh' statement for some. I had a friend who just didn't do...anything...after we graduated. And he was frustrated that he was too broke to do anything with the rest of us working folks.

Of course, hopefully your job search is going on while you're in school, and, since this article's focus is on life after college, I'm not going to elaborate on that. But I do have a couple of things to say about your job. First of all, you might feel like you're extremely overqualified for it. You're just going to have to suck it up. The job market is competitive, and employers want people with experience. Your "first" job is merely a means to do get it. Face it. You're not going to come out of school running the joint. (I had a friend who thought that. Needless to say, he's still unemployed.) Second, if you plan on earning your MBA, you may have to keep at it for a couple of years. It is now becoming quite difficult to get into business school without any post baccalaureate work experience. But one plus in the situation is that they might pay for your education for you!