Advice To Young Graduates That I Wish I Had 7 Years Ago

It’s exciting to step into a new phase of your life, at the same time it can be nerve-wracking to be in the real world for the first time, often clueless about the direction to proceed into

Well, Congratulations! 🎉

On completing your educational journey and starting another…educational journey. This time real world would be your classroom and the experiences would be your teachers. Lessons will be on life and happiness would be the grading scale. Learning never stops, as beautifully captured in the words:

“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.” — Michel Legrand

I am sure you are as excited as I was when I started my professional life after finishing my undergraduate studies back in 2015. You must be full of energy and brilliant ideas brimming with endless optimism!

That’s good, hold on to that and build your success on top of it. Just don’t fall into the trap of defining “success” as what society tells you it is. Define it as it fits you just like that tailor-made dress does.

Here are some words of advice, I wished I had when I started my journey:

• Save and invest: build a habit of saving and investing regularly from your first paycheck. Doesn’t matter how much you save, the act of keeping a sum aside for your future matters. Let your mind be blown by the magic of compounding. Learn about investing and personal finance — I can recommend The Psychology of Money and Let’s Talk Money to get started.

• Don’t be afraid to explore: You are young and full of energy with almost no responsibility(in most cases). Have a crazy idea? Go for it! Don’t like your current role/industry/city? Switch to a new one! Want to experiment with a side hustle? Don’t wait for the perfect timing! Want to work and travel? Pack your bags and do it!
• “Follow your passion” is a luxury: that can be afforded only after your basic needs are taken care of — when your mind has space to be creative and freedom to choose. Try to get to that luxurious position as soon as possible in your journey: have some debt to pay off? Prioritize it over bigger expenses. Have health and fitness issues? Get better and work on yourself.

• Your passion will find you: Sooner or later, you will converge to what excites you. You just have to be open to new experiences and find how each experience makes you feel. Then, keep doing what makes you happier a bit more every day. It is okay if you don’t know what is it that drives you — you will eventually find out!
• Don’t compare: Just don’t. It’s never a good idea. Don’t compare your job, your achievements, your journey, your bank account, or your social life with others. Why? Because you will never know the exact circumstances of another person or the cost they paid to be where they are. It’s almost always a recipe for sadness, envy, and frustration. Instead, be inspired by others’ experiences!
• Have patience: This one, I believe, would be the most difficult for most of you. You just got out of the uni, and have this chance to show the world all the things you are capable of, to move the needles, to change the world. Change takes time. And patience and consistent efforts. Definitely put in your best efforts to achieve something, but just learn to get comfortable with the realistic timelines. See it as a journey instead of a one-off effort. Bigger the change, the longer the journey!

• Be kind: Learn to be compassionate. Be kind to not just others but also to yourself. Allow yourself to fail. Allow others to fail. We are all humans and we all make mistakes.

“If you have the choice between being right and being kind, choose being kind” — Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

• Keep a growth mindset: So often we get stuck in the fixed mindset by believing that intelligence, talent, and other qualities are innate and unchangeable. But they aren’t. They can be developed with practice and effort. It is very important to learn this concept of Growth Mindset, as early as possible. Your mindset plays a major role not only in your motivation and achievement but also affects how you see and work with other people around you.
• Keep your health first: Most important of all, take care of yourself — your mind and your body. Keep a healthy sleep schedule and make an effort to eat healthier. Try to squeeze in some exercise in your routine. Trust me, your future self will thank you!

Last but not least: Invest in building good relationships. The relationships you will build now will go a long way — both personal and professional! Don’t ignore people around you — the people you will share a laugh with about the most bizarre ideas in the office cafeteria will probably become your best mentors/sponsors/partners/colleagues/friends in your life!

I can go on and on about this topic, but I will let you explore and figure a few things out by yourself! Have fun out there! 🙌

I write about Tech Products, Data Science, Product Management, Productivity, and Leadership. If you would like to read along with my learning journey, you can follow me on medium or LinkedIn. If you want to chat more about these topics or work together, you can book some time for a 1/1 call with me here.