hello friends.
i've missed you all. it's been over a year since i've written a post and BOY OH BOY has a lot transpired. i come to you with new perspective, greater faith, and a new job.
let's play catch up:
last time we talked i was working as a marketing assistant for a small company. i worked there for little under a year and it was an excellent experience. i would advise anyone who is about to graduate or new in the post grad world to work for a small company. you get to do a lot which means you learn a lot. consequently, you learn and grow into a better person. from one small marketing role that started with sales calls, i got to write marketing collateral, social media posts, and produce a monthly newsletter. i also got vendor management experience as well as account management experience. it wasn't without bumps in the road, but it was extremely beneficial.
lesson one: walk before you crawl. it makes walking a lot easier.
if i hadn't worked in this role, i wouldn't have been able to move into a bigger and better role feeding off my previous experience. we're all in a rush to make 6 figure salaries and be financially secure, but who are we kidding? we're still kids trying to figure this game called life out. success will come, if you're willing to humble yourself in learn.
i was definitely rushing. i got my first loan statement and said "Jesus, have mercy - how am i going to afford this?". instead of managing my money, i began looking for more money. i worked two second jobs to no avail and then i started seeking a new full-time position. i was exhausted, underpaid, and unhappy. i searched for three months and couldn't find a new role.
lesson two: discipline is everything. you could be rich and still broke if you're not willing to say no.
so i pushed although life (in my case) Jesus was telling me it's not time for you to switch jobs. to give myself a break from financial turmoil, i applied to graduate school. BEST DECISION EVER. it was something i did for all the wrong reasons, but worked in all the right ways. I always wanted my master's degree and i'm so glad i'm now pursuing it. back to my job situation - so after about 6 months of searching i found a position! joyous rapture right? NOT.
it was completely the wrong role for me. i found myself in a old, dirty warehouse with miserable people doing hardcore sales on the phone while other employees were playing basketball behind me (strange, i know). i cried driving there everyday.
lesson three: trust the timing of your life. AKA trust God.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - romans 8:28
in a situation so crazy that if i explained it you would think i made it up, i found myself without work...for seven months. it was the longest seven months of my life full of many challenges both personal and professional. i lost two dear friends to death, a relationship, and my peace of mind. i had no idea why this was happening. i was angry with God and myself.
however, we must realize that nothing is in vain, but rather everything has purpose. from these ashes of my former life, i was given another. we focus so much on what we lost rather than what we can gain. on monday, i start the job of my dreams. this position is key to my future as a project manager. i just finished my first year of graduate school with a 3.85 this semester ( i want a 4.0 grr).
lesson four: temporary. everything is temporary including pain.
there were moments when i thought my life was over, where i didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel or the purpose in the pain. we must recognize that almost all feelings and situations are temporary. this means they have an end. life is made of building blocks and tunnels. you go up based on experiences or you go through experiences to another experience. in all of this know - there is a destination.
"Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be." - psalm 139:16
cheers.
amb
Over the past week or so, I've been discussing the transition from college to the real world with several current and past students from my alma mater. One of my friends expressed anxiety as she approaches the transition. Another friend expressed how difficult it was for her post graduation to move on and began working. My boo's parent expressed how difficult it is for recent graduates who are expected to pay their student loans on entry level salaries. As I had these conversations I knew I had to write about how I personally transitioned from class to corporate.
The beginning of spring semester I was absolutely terrified of graduation. I was under the impression that I would have an internship in philadelphia for the summer for the beginning half of the semester and then I discovered the internship was given to someone else. I was devastated. I drove my friends crazy trying to put together every little piece of my future. I had to have a plan.
I must of applied for 20 jobs or more pre-graduation and went on 3 interviews that were all unsuccessful. Other seniors I knew began to get offers who had less experience then I did and I got really discouraged. Graduation quickly approached and I prepared to move out of my apartment and back into my parents' house. I had built an entire life in Reading, PA that I had to give up and move back to a place that I had nothing established in. I didn't have a job, car, friends, or money saved at home.
Graduation was the best day of my life. As I looked out at all my families from SGA to my sisters in Alpha Delta Pi. I felt so loved by everyone in the crowd. It was amazing to see everyone who was instrumental in my success. As I walked across the stage that day, I smiled at my family and I knew that I had picked the perfect place for my undergraduate education. I couldn't of asked for a better experience.
Life took an unexpected turn when I had to be admitted to the hospital for a routine procedure gone wrong. To make things worse I entered the hospital on my birthday. I was so discouraged, but my spirits were raised when I got a phone call for my first job interview. Little did I know that this would be one of many interviews, all would leave me disappointed and unemployed. I finally started working for a local hospital in food service based on my past managerial experience. I was so happy to be employed, but hated being in food. After three months of being employed part time at the hospital, I prepared for
my student loans by searching for a second job. Instead of a second position, I found a job as a marketing assistant around the corner from my current job. How ironic? I'm in love with my job now and have gained so much experience. My company is small which allows me to learn many different skills and act in different positions.
I'm now seeking a second job to pay for my crazy loan bills and save money. At the end of the day, I can't complain. I am blessed. I know many people who are still working retail or haven't been able to find a position making enough money to afford their loans. Even though it's difficult, my problems are solvable with hard work and discipline. I'm telling you this because post graduate life can be discouraging at first. Applying to jobs and getting turnt down or not finding a positioning your field can be hard to handle. You may feel like giving up. You may reminisce and want to go back to your college days.
Don't look back. Press ahead.
The biggest mistake you can make is thinking that what's behind you is better than what's ahead. College was a building block to opportunities. These opportunities wouldn't have been available to you without your degree. Know that those four years weren't in vain and whatever you're doing now is a building block to bigger and better things. It's okay to be broke in your twenty's because you're establishing yourself. My biggest advice to bony graduates and further graduates is:
1) getting a job is a job. You'll only get out of it what you put in it
2) don't fret at small beginnings, they make big endings
3) Work hard. Save your money. Don't forget to have fun.
4) memories are okay. envy is not.
Remember college, don't be envious of those who are still in college
5) Grow.
Even after six months you won't be the same person and that's okay. You're officially growing up.
6) no matter what look towards the future and not at the past
-amb
I so fondly remember waking up on a Tuesday and being so excited that I wouldn't have class today because it's about to snow holy heck outside. How exciting?
Snow means I'm going to spend the day laughing with my apartment mates, watching tv, and eating chips & dip ;) (shoutout to my senior year roommates, Karly & Imani!! Love ya'll) I can take unlimited naps today. I definitely won't be doing any work and I'm just waiting for that beautiful email that says class is cancelled.
Now I wake up to the weather report letting me know that it's going to snow 6-12 inches today with low to no visibility. Guess what? I still have to go to work. And the worse time to travel will be the evening commute. Wonderful. I've discovered that most employers really don't care if the heavens open up and a massive snow cloud pours upon us for the next 15 hours. You better make it to work....on time.
At least we got snow days from elementary to now.
WELCOME TO ADULTHOOD!
-amb
p.s. What was your favorite thing to do on a snow day at college? Represent the school and activity in the comments section. If you have a google email you can comment :)
i love getting Dunkin Donuts in the morning or stopping by the local bagel shop for a egg everything bagel toasted with cream cheese.
reality is these small purchases are depleting my bank account. do you know how much a $5 a day breakfast adds up to for the month? let me break it down:
$5 a day x 5 week days = $25 a week on breakfast only
Okay that wouldn't be so bad if I was just eating breakfast out....but I the only thing I love more than breakfast is lunch lol
$9 a day for lunch x 5 week days = $45 a week
So, I've been eating up $70 a damn week?!?! That's a lot of cash!
with that money I could of purchased a pair of shoes, jeans, booked a hotel, purchased a gym membership, filled up my gas tank twice, or purchased several bottles of alcohol. basically ten minutes of greasy satisfaction has been costing me my social life so, this week I am ending my relationship with
fast food breakfast and lunch. #1 it's horrible for you health wise #2 I'll gladly take the extra $140 a month back
I urge you fellow graduates to take a look at your current expenses. What are you spending the most money on? Is the money truly money well spent?
Think about how much you could save or all the bills you could pay off early. Repurpose your money today :)
-amb
hellooooo post grad friends! i've missed writing to you so much. in the past couple months, i've transitioned from one job to the next and been elected to a community board so, needless to say, i am BUSY. however, i want to get back to writing and sharing my post grad experience. to all of you who asked me to continue writing, thank you. i truly enjoy it. now on to business....today's post is a bit of a rant about the monster that no one really talks about that lives under your bed during your college days: student loans.
WARNING: i am about to be EXTREMELY transparent in hopes that it will encourage someone else.
hi, my name is alysha and i am over $100,000 in debt.
no, it's not because i have a ridiculously addiction to shopping (although, i really do have a shopping problem, but that belongs on another blog.) this debt has been accumulated while trying to better myself through higher education. i had no idea what i was getting myself into freshman year when i signed my first loan agreement and within seconds placed myself $18,000 in debt.
i don't think any of us do. it isn't until four years later after we've experienced the happiest moment of our young adult lives, graduating college that we realize exactly six months later we'll have to pay for our happy years every month. furthermore, we don't realize HOW MUCH we'll have to pay for those years...every month. unfortunately, not one of my undergraduate classes prepared me for the horror which is my monthly loan bills.
it wouldn't be so bad if i was in a job making 45k+, sitting in the shade drinking lemonade, and had ample amounts of extra cash. but, it is quite the contrary. i am a broke graduate counting my change in the mcdonald's drive thru. my loan providers have no remorse. when i call them to lower my payments, they tell me there's no way out. i didn't know signing a loan agreement was like signing over your soul to the devil. so now, i have a job i love dearly, but the money i make will soon not be enough for me to actually live and pay my loans at the same time.
the crazy part is: i prepared for this. i calculated out how much i was going to have to pay every month after i graduated college. my estimates were way off to say the least. i honestly don't know what the answer is to this problem my fellow grads. what do you do when your skills qualify you for one salary, but your bank account asks for another? my answer is: you work and have faith. i know that some way, some how i will not go under. if it means getting another job, i'll do it. if it means changing jobs, i'll do it. applying to graduate school? i'll do it. (fyi: if you're going to graduate, they'll defer you longer as soon as you get an acceptance letter).
bottom line is: don't stop fighting ladies and gents. if you're experiencing loan issues:
#1 call your provider
if you get the right person on the phone, they may be able to help you. you have the most wiggle room with the federal government because they have several payment options. i called and had my payment split in half. (thanks jesus)
#2 know your options
whether it's consolidation or forbearance, research what you can do. i don't really suggest forbearance because it's basically another deferment where interest continues to grow on your principal. however, if you seriously can't make payments, it's an option. consolidation is great if you have horrible interest rates. consolidate with a credit unions because they give better interest rates and have incentives with membership. you don't have to currently be a member of a credit union. there are sites online such as CuGrad that will help you through the process of becoming a member and consolidating. you can also try to consolidate through your current bank. sometimes they offer incentives if you bank with them and then consolidate with them. here's some additional information on options learn your options
#3 work your little booty off.
set up a budget and save as much money as you can. in the case of a emergency or if you're strapped for cash, you can borrow from yourself. look for part time positions that are not stressful or difficult to take on for a short period of time.
remember, all situations are temporary and all problems are fixable :]
thinking of ideas for my next post...i was thinking a resume breakdown. how many of you need assistance with your resume? what topics would you like me to write on? comment below & share this post with your friends.
-AMB
For many college students all over the nation, it is the first day of class. However, for many recent college graduates, it's just another day of naps or watching movies from your couch.
Some of you may have nine to five jobs already, but the majority is still searching for employment in this new chapter. I come to say my fellow graduates:
It gets better.
I can neither confirm or deny this notion because I've only been living the post graduate life for a few months now. I am employed, but not in a position in my field or using my degree. This will be the norm for most of us. At some point, following graduation, we must stop mourning the past and move on to the future.
It's natural to feel sad and nostalgic at this time of the year. We've been programmed to move in and attend class for the past four years. Now that we've graduated it's almost like well, what do we do now? We live. We now have the power to make our new lives whatever we would like. You find new things to do, new people to hang out with, or new ways to hang out with old people. The best part of finding employment is you now have real income to do things with. You can afford to travel or plan fun activities with friends on the weekends. Yes, there are some elements that are out of our control like WHEN we will find such employment. Nonetheless, the rest of our lives is what we make it. It's just like our college years. College was what we made it whether we choose to make friends, join clubs, go to parties, or go to class. We made choices that made our experience are great as it was.
It's time to make those choices again. What are you going to do now? What are your goals for the next year? What can you now do that you weren't able to before?
Personally,every time I begin to mourn the days of old I think about the family I gained from my alma mater. Although my time attending class is over, I always have those connections to fall back on. I haven't lost anything truthfully, only gained some amazing people and experiences that have shaped me. We can only assume it gets better from here because I see graduates living highly fulfilling lives all around me.
& the best thing about it is they are still benefiting from the relationships and knowledge they built during college.
-amb
I know, personally, I didn't realize how much money it takes to live on your own. It wasn't until I realistically priced an apartment that I realized how difficult it would be for me to maintain one directly out of college. Unless you want to live with an apartment and that is all, you will have no money. Sometimes you can have just an apartment and STILL have money. Why? All the hidden expenses. You can't live in an apartment without heat, air, insurance, electricity, or savings. You really need three months of rent saved before you're prepared to move.
I say all of this to say: as you begin working after college, you need to budget.
I'm now working on a template for my monthly budget. I have monthly bills for loans, a credit card, and I'd like to purchase a cell phone separately from my parents. I need to record and track these expenses. I need to track my pay checks. It's important to know how much you make, how much is deducted for insurance, and how much you're contributing to your 401K. Some of you maybe thinking: retirement? This early? Yes. The sooner that you start, the more you have. Plus, most companies match your contribution or a portion of your contribution. Why not take advantage of that?
Outline your expenses. Allot money for EVERYTHING. Not just the big bills, but the small expenses. For example, I can think of something to buy with every paycheck I make lol. So, I'm planning on allotting a certain amount I can spend on the desires of my heart. The basis of my budget is as follows:
10% to God
10% to Savings ( for the next couple months before my loan payments kick in, this will be increased)
80% to live on
The 80% will be divided as well. I'm going to determine how much I think is acceptable to spend on entertainment( movies, dinners, nights out). I also am going to budget for gas and car related expenses when I start driving at the end of October. There's so much more, but I won't bore you. It is essential to take everything into consideration.
The reality is 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. I have no desire to work 40 hours a week and still be broke. How do we prevent this? Dumb logic would say "Well if you make enough money, you won't be broke" No. If you're a good steward over the money that is supplied to you, you won't be broke. You could be making $80,000 a year, if you don't manage it well you'll be left with zero. Make a plan and work your plan. ( When I find a budget template I like, I'll post it!)
Be money smart :)
-amb
