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You just graduated college - what would you do differently?

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EfficientEngineer:
Hi everyone,

Looking back, if you just graduated college again is there anything you would have handled/done differently?  Was there something that you did right and you're still glad you made that decision? 

I have a similar thread going on for career optimization but I'd really like to open this to life optimization.

I'm in the constant search of trying to live a life without regrets and I thoroughly believe that getting advice from a smart group of people who've been there before me is a way to avoid a lot of mistakes.  For context I'll be graduating in the spring and am curious as to everyone's opinion.

Bonus points for unorthodox answers!

foghorn:
Interesting question.

As I am now 50 years old, I guess I have had enough time post college to have some perspective. 

The one thing I wish I had done was put more money into my the 401k at my first (and subsequent employers).  When I was 22 and just starting out, the easy answer was to put 6% of pay into the 401k and then get the 4% company match.  The total of 10% seemed like a nice round number and I did not give it much thought beyond that.  While it was good move to invest that money, when I look back at how the market has performed now for 28 years - I think about how much more I would have if I had invested more.  I was paid a reasonable salary and had a company car - so I could have done more.  But at that age I also wanted to buy "stuff" after being a poor college student.

I wish I had a more provocative answer for you.

Bumbles8:
I have been out of school for a year and half, so I will answer a little differently.  Also, as a preface, my money situation I have been happy with (maxing 401k, HSA, and Roth). 

Right after school I took a month trip to Europe.  And I highly encourage anyone about to graduate to take a big trip - whether to Europe, across the US, wherever - before they start that first real job.

My only regret was that I didn't stay longer.  When I booked the tickets I wasn't sure how my money situation was going to look but I should have been more aggressive

Once you start your first job, no longer will you be able to take those long vacations

Millennialworkerbee:
I am only 6 years out from graduation, so I'm not sure I'm really "looking back" but I'll throw my two cents in here.

I am glad that I got a good grip on my financial situation right away and that I picked a company that puts 10% of my salary into my 401k on top of whatever I contribute. I am still at said company and my 401k looks awesome for a 27 year old. Don't underestimate good benefits even as a single person.

I'm glad I lived on my own. I know it doesn't make financial sense to do so, but if you have the means, you should do it, even just for 1 year. I learned a lot about myself in the 1.5 years I lived alone and it gave me a lot of self confidence that I could do it "on my own".

So far no big regrets.

PlainsWalker:
I took on too much in college. I stitched together a part time job, a work study, and some part time as needed gigs to make ends meet. The workload on top of the class work led to me being a zombie when graduation rolled around. When job hunting I was happy for any full time gig that meant just 40 or so hours a week. This led to my first job out of college not being the best in terms of pay and benefits. I worked there for a year and a half and moved on to my current employer with a solid competitive salary and benefits package.

If I were to be back in my shoes as a fresh graduate I would be more confident in my abilities and the value I could bring to a company.

My second job out of college required a lot of travel. For a mostly fresh out of college graduate with no ties full time travel was a blast. I got to see a lot of the country and had virtually no expenses. I lived out of a suitcase for about five years on the company dime. I strongly recommend considering a job that requires travel, at least for a few years. I was running a 90% plus savings rate and still felt like I was living it up. When I got tired of airports at 4:00 am on Monday mornings I was in a good place financially and had the knowledge and skills to transfer to a new position in the company that required far less travel. It worked for me.

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