As we come to the end of May, a new wave of college graduates will be entering the “real world.” Unfortunately, for many the bubble of optimism bursts even before the shouts of “congratulations” fade away on graduation day replaced by confusion and a wall of responsibilities including personal finance and student loans. How is a person supposed to cope? Move forward? Below are a handful of tips to help new graduates orient themselves to the post-college world.

1. Know you are not alone. Practically no one starts off on the right path or lands his or her dream job straight out of college. You have plenty of time to figure out what you really want to do, and thousands of twenty-somethings are out there feeling as lost and confused as you are. It isn’t a weakness to be unsure, and to want to ask for advice and guidance; but keep in mind no one else should be making decisions about your future. Sometimes a career path is a process of elimination – don’t expect your dream job to be delivered along with your diploma.
2. Own your future. Don’t feel burdened under the weight of expectations, and don’t torture yourself by comparing your trajectory with your other friends and associates. At the end of the day, it is you who must feel happy with your decisions, not your family, society, significant other or friends.
3. Up your financial IQ. If you are like most college graduates, then after graduation you are saddled with thousands of dollars in student loans. These first few years after college are crucial to establishing your financial behavior. Read books, blogs, and articles about investing, saving, and debt management. Get on a budget immediately and learn to live by it. The real world is expensive.
4. Spend some time doing self-investigation. You just spent the past four or five years studying the world outside yourself. Some internal exploration is crucial during this time in your life when you will be making major life decisions. In order to create a life that you really want, you have to figure out who you are first. Taking a trip abroad, working with a counselor or life coach, or perusing the self-help aisles of bookstores is a good start.
5. Get your balance. While racing towards getting that promotion or finding your path, you may find yourself devoting tons of energy to your work; or conversely maybe you become dissatisfied with work so you pour yourself into other areas of your life like relationships and use those areas as crutches. Real life is all about balance. You remember the old story about the tortoise and the hare? Fastest doesn’t always win the race. Be diligent, but pace yourself and remember to have a little fun and a little “me” time along the way. Taking time for yourself isn’t slacking; it is recharging yourself so you can be at your best physically and mentally to handle any hurdles that come your way.
6. Unhappiness isn’t worth it. Sure, these are supposed to be the years when you lay the foundation for your future, the years where your body is fit enough to push yourself to the limit for your job. But there is a limit. Showing your dedication is one thing; slaving away at a job you hate that leads you to a future you aren’t sure you want, or a future you may be able to get to another way is a completely different thing. Keep in mind as you enter the work world that there is a difference between paying your dues, and just plain paying.
7. Take it one step at a time. Now that you are in the “real world,” you may have dozens of ideas of what you want to do with your life including a makeover of how you look, where you live, the dynamics of your relationships, etc. But don’t try to tackle everything at once. The results would be similar to a crash diet where you cut out major food categories simultaneously – system shutdown. Think about your goals and put them into categories of what you can do right now, what can be accomplished in the short term, and what should be achieved far into the future. I call these 3-foot leaps, 10-foot leaps, and long-term goals. Not only will planning your steps allow you to see what you want and where you are headed, completing the 3-foot and 10-foot leaps will give you an instant feeling of accomplishment.