By the end of March, there would be thousands of new College graduates. And that would mean a lot of individuals seeking to find employment. Hopefully not just any kind of job, but one that can truly support their individual needs. Naturally, being a fresh graduate, your eagerness to earn may be focused on your own desires – the “wants”, in which you want to satisfy yourself with the things which may have been deprived of you. Being in your 20’s, all that matters may just be yourself. But most often than not, those who want to have that kind of simple life end up falling short on so many things. Just imagine how not being focused on your future can matter so much. All of us should not only have our eyes on the now but most importantly on the future because no one really knows what may happen. And with that, we all must be prepared.
This article is intended to provide advice for the graduates of this year and for those who may not have sought any work from the time they have graduated or may have decided to quit their jobs in search for better employment. This should help inspire you to pick up the pieces and start anew.
Be aware that automation and outsourcing can have a huge impact on job seekers. There are jobs that are slowly being replaced by machines and computers, therefore, you must be ready for these changes and create an impression on employers on how hirable you are.
Where Should You Begin?
First and foremost, create a mindset that would embrace both positivity and negativity. In this way, you imbibe a perspective that allows you to hope for better things to come. Realize that we do not live in a perfect world, therefore, we may tumble from time to time. But, that shouldn’t make you stop in achieving your goals. Seeking employment may be the first step of most entrepreneurs. This is a great way of learning the basics particularly when it comes to how to handle problems whether they are about finances or people.
When you seek for a job, what are your qualification which you think would make an employer hire? More than knowing the basic skills needed for the job, the employer also checks on how you present yourself. The attitude is very important, so you must always be at your best. By developing this positive attitude, you help yourself have the discipline – more than how you look or appear, you also get to control your whole well-being.
After working for a company and you feel that you are being constrained from growing, you must first determine if you are ready to give up your job. And if you have fully decided to move on, be sure you have settled a plan on how to start.
Everything begins with having the right mindset and attitude. No matter which path you take, both your heart and mind should be on the same goal.
The Millennial Attitude
Reading through a lot of articles pertaining to millennials, some writers refer to millennials as the “exquisite breed” since they grew up with everything practically handed to them without much trouble. But I do think that in every generation, there exists the same kind of people. The only difference may just be the technology. What am I referring to? It is that drive to achieve more than what we can think. Every 20+-year-old individual should take advantage of what we have now. We have to admit that we can no longer rely on what we know or what we have learned. There is an imbalance with regards to the courses taken in by College graduates and the kind of jobs available. So, either we let ourselves get stuck in a place where we are not happy or we can enrich ourselves with additional knowledge which can help us grow as individuals and in pursuing a much better means of earning.
School may have missed teaching us all about how to handle our finances. And that is something that is truly important after getting out of College. Being a graduate, you should start to become more responsible and not to rely on your parents. This is where I admire Americans. They grew up without any helper in their homes, with both parents working, and children find a means of earning, even just babysitting. For sure they have struggles just like we have here, and the difference is having the right attitude in facing such difficulties.
Getting Into The Right Track
When you truly think about it, building sustainable wealth isn’t that difficult. You don’t need to be a genius or to be connected with influential people just to have that goal. No matter how many seminars or workshops you attend or books you read, but if you have the financial intelligence and a set of skills, well, you are just on your way to increase your chances towards financial independence.
Here are intelligent ways summed up:
1. Definitely, do not spend more than your means. Come on! Even if the biggest mall in Metro Manila claims to offer 80% off on all items, you don’t need to squeeze yourself into the mad crowd trying to get almost everything. After all the hype, most of these people would realize that about 90% of all the things they have bought from the sale is something that they don’t actually need. Now, I am starting to believe that during these days of mall sale, there must be some hypnotic force that drives the people crazy towards purchasing anything without much careful thought.
2. Get into the habit of accumulating wealth. This is something that I never dreamed possible for me. I grew up with both parents working. So, I see them at home taking some of their office work. The families of both my parents were all professionals. Therefore, I have always dreamed of becoming a doctor. But, life may have something great in store for me. When I married my husband, I was exposed to their family who was into business. Slowly, I was getting interested in selling. I tried selling a lot of things – from clothes, watches, Persian rugs, plastic drawers, and even tried wholesaling mangoes. Seeing these opportunities, it has become some sort of second nature to me to find ways on how to earn aside from the skills that I have in which I also earn from.
3. Take a portion of your earnings aside. You know that saving and investing are two entirely different things. They may seem alike but the difference lies in the amount of money you will have at a particular time. To make it easier for you to understand, saving is the means of setting aside a portion of your income for emergency use, paying bills, etc. It is the kind of money that you can readily use. Investing is the means of letting your money grow through different channels such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. The money is kept for a certain period of time and the amount of money that you earn depends on the amount of money that you invested and how long you intend to invest it.
Strengthening your financial capacity can be possible by doing these:
1. Start a business. This is the only way for you to truly have financial independence. It is a good form of investment wherein you get to have full control of. Additionally, you also have control over how much taxes you pay. You may need to hire a tax professional to be able to determine the ins and outs of the Internal Revenue rules to know which are eligible expenses.
You can start with a small business. Be sure that the business that you build is something worth your time and effort. There are so many factors to consider in which you must be aware of. Seek a business mentor to act as your guide.
2. Invest in yourself. It is now very popular among the millennials how they value the money that they work hard for. And that also means that they intend to be working until they finally feel that they can comfortably just sit at home and relax. They consider investing in insurance. Then again, make sure that you only invest with trusted companies otherwise, you might end up losing all your hard-earned money, instead.
Having a great investment may just be your ticket to a relaxed, happy, and financially independent retirement years.
3. Keep yourself healthy. You cannot be young forever. And to abuse your youth with so much partying may only increase your chances of developing some form of medical condition. Remember that hospital bills can be worth thousands of pesos. You only get one chance at life Therefore, make life worth living.
4. Be surrounded by people who can support you and motivate you with your goals. Sometimes, just being around these kinds of people allows you to think much better. And when this happens, great things just follow. Having a better judgment on important matters is what makes you hit your goals.
Yearn to achieve goals then pursue them until they become achievable. Creating a funnel of wealth is not an instant phenomenon. NO one ever had made it possible overnight. Perseverance is the key.
Image source: Pixabay.com
Jenny Alano
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