“Some people become power brokers through sheer intimidation and force of will; others, generally with far better results, learn to become indispensable to the people around them.” – Keith Ferrazzi

I was chatting with a buddy the other day and we got into exchanging weekend plans. He told me that he was staying in because he wanted to focus on his career. I instantly thought about how insanely stupid that was. Do we really not know that successful people in our field are out there at social events and not sitting at home? What can you possibly accomplish by staying at home by yourself all of the time?

This is the only holiday post you need to read. If you want to know about Christmas gift ideas that don’t suck or other tips then you can check out my past articles. This year I’m going to go in a different direction.

The only holiday season advice that you need is real simple: THROW A PARTY.

“You can be more successful in two months by becoming really interested in other people’s success than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in your own success” – Dale Carnegie

Have you ever read the book Never Eat Alone? If not you need to pick up a copy right now. It is by far the best book on the market when it comes to networking, connecting with people, and moving up in the world.

There’s only one problem with reading this book. You need to actually apply the tips in the book. If you apply the advice, you’ll meet so many new people and leave a lasting impression on a life long network of really cool people. If you read the book and go back to your old ways, well then, you’re going to have the same results as before. It’s really that simple.

I want you to throw a holiday party.

Sell your copy of Starcraft. Cancel your subscription to that dating site for the month. Do whatever you can to throw a holiday party. Invite lots of cool people. Invite people you want to get to know better. Pick up some booze. Have food ready for everyone. Let people have a great time.

“Most dinner parties don’t call for anything fancy. Follow the Kiss principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid). Good food. Good people. Lots of wine. Good conversation.” — Never Eat Alone

A holiday party is the best time to connect with old friends, build new connections, and have a great time. Put some money aside and throw a party that nobody will forget. Don’t worry about Christmas gifts or any of that crap. Give the gift of a fun (and possibly wild) night.

Oh and of course, make sure that nobody drinks and drives.

What to do after college? Is graduate school the best option right after you finish college? The answer is no and the alternatives are found within this post.

Life after college is pretty damn scary. The thought of being completely free is exciting at first. Then as you think about it more, you start to wonder what you’re going to do with all of your newly found free time. You start to wonder if you can still have as much fun and party as hard. You worry about becoming that old guy at parties.

This is the first time in your life where you don’t know what’s going to happen next. There’s no more structure. There’s no more professors and classmates breathing down your neck. There’s no more deadlines. No more last minute cramming for an exam. You’re all on your own.

You can work your ass off and build something amazing. You can also be lazy and stream your favorite shows online. You can save some serious money. You can take time off to “find yourself.” You can also spend more money and go to grad school.

What you accomplish after college is in your control. I can’t tell tell you what to do after college. I can help you think of an amazing idea or two that’s better than more education.

7 alternatives to an MBA or any form of graduate school post-college are:

1. Work abroad.

Instead of finding a job in your hometown or in the downtown core, you can do something radically different and work in a totally different country. If you don’t have any close family or strong job prospects, you can use that as an excuse to take off and find work abroad.

I know that it’s easy to suggest finding a job abroad. Actually finding work in another country can be pretty damn challenging. That’s why I recommend you check out Dave’s ESL Cafe and look for a teaching gig. Usually a college degree is the only requirement. The pay depends on how long you’re willing to stay and what country you decide to work in.

Why’s this better than grad school?

You experience a new culture and you get to make some money. You can watch documentaries, stay in a hostel, and learn all that you want about a country. You won’t know shit until you actually work in a country. Going to grad school will give you all of the theory in the world but you won’t learn anything about the world until you explore it. Studying a culture will NEVER be better than living the culture.

2. Start a business.

It’s relatively easy to find some sort of an average job after college. It takes real balls to start your own business and create your own income. Starting your own business provides you with more opportunities, the potential for more income, and the ability to control your own future.

Before you give me the usual bs about how you have no money or how you don’t have any great ideas, you need to read my piece on how you can start a business with no money. If you still have excuses, then you need to get a life!

Why’s this better than more schooling?

All the education in the world won’t help you if you don’t have the ability to get off your ass to get something done. You can go to all of the entrepreneurship conferences you find. You can print your own business cards. You can study business case studies. All of this is fine. If you want to see tangible and real results, you need to start your own business and give it a go.

3. Create something.

On the hierarchy of value, the money goes to those that are not afraid to create something. We can all lift or even sell something. How many of us can actually create? Not many. That’s why those that create see the benefit of disproportionate results compared to those that lift or sell.

Why’s this better than spending your time in school?

In school you create something (boring assignments) that’s going to be graded by your professors. Only a handful of individuals will ever get to see your work. If you want create something outside of the school system, your potential is unlimited.

4. Learn a new language.

How many languages do you speak? Is it time that you figured out how to speak another language? I think it is. I’ve been slowly trying to learn some Spanish. Puedo tomar una cerveza por favor?

The more languages you speak the greater are your opportunities. You can’t work for United Nations unless you speak 5 languages.

Why’s this better than grad school?

Well truthfully you can learn another language while in grad school or while doing any of these other options. The only caveat is that most of us will use “being tired” or some other excuses to prolong learning another language. I can tell you the truth or I can tell you what you want to hear. You’re not as busy as you think you are.

5. Master a new skill.

Have you been dying to learn a new skill? Do you want to pick up kickboxing? Do you want to figure out how to surf? This is your chance. You’ll never be as free as you are right now.

Even if you have lots of student debt you still have a six month period or so before you need to start paying the money back.

What’ so good about this option?

We all have the ability to remain average. That’s boring. Very few of us will learn any new skills of any significance in our 20s. Why not separate yourself from the pack and master something new?

6.. Kill your debt.

The next option is to take some time to pay down debt. This means that you’re going to work like maniac, cut back your expenses, and put all of your money towards your debt (student debt and credit card debt).

The ROI of this option is immensely high. You do need to sacrifice plans to start a business or to travel. The amazing part is that you can live a life without debt. You’ll be debt free while your friends struggle to make their debt payments on time.

Why’s this better than more education?

Because your education already got you into debt (I know it’s an investment). Do you really need to get into any more debt for more education? I don’t think so. You can try to convince yourself all that you want. The reality is that if you haven’t found a job after college or if you hate your job, more education is not the solution.

7. Do nothing.

I’m not a fan of this option because I can’t sit still for more than a few hours. I do have a few friends that did this. Instead of stressing about finding a job or doing anything else, you can do absolutely nothing.

You can wake up whenever you want. You can watch episodes of Lost on your laptop. You can drink as much as you want. You can do absolutely nothing productive.

What’s the benefit of doing nothing?

You never know when a great idea can hit you. You never know when you can meet a person that can change your life.

If you want to learn more about what to do after college then you need to subscribe below. I’ll be sending exclusive content  and expanding on all of these ideas to a handful of readers. If you’re serious about life after college then this list is for you. If you’re a college student or you don’t want to improve on anything then please don’t sign up.

You want to know what’s holding you back? Look at the first word of the sentence. YOU have the ability to makes changes, build momentum, and get what you want out of life.

You have the power to start building powerful momentum right now. Once you start rolling there’s no stopping you. Once you start to build some momentum you’ll be able to overcome every obstacle in your way.

You need to build some momentum. How you start to build momentum is all up to you. You can start with a few quick wins. You can start off by accomplishing something minor.

If you want to start building momentum right now you can:

• Pay off your debt with the lowest balance.
• Find a paying client for your new business.
• Put in an extra hour of work before bed.
• Reach out to one interesting person on the internet.

At the end of the day, building momentum is extremely powerful. Are you ready to get rolling?

Today’s post is meant to be a quick reminder. If you have some time and want to catch up, here’s what you missed this week:

On Monday we went over how there’s one thing that will hold you back from working for yourself. The idea that credit card debt can hurt your career options is very real. Being in debt you hurt your options when it comes to career moves. Will this be the year that you finally kill your debt and live life on your own terms?

On Tuesday we looked at the power of doing something now. I absolutely hate it when someone complains about something constantly and then does nothing about it. That’s so lame! I want you to get into the habit of taking action.

On Wednesday we discussed what you weren’t told about credit card debt. Too often do we try to be rational with the thought of paying down debt. We need to realize that debt is more emotional than logical. Paying down debt involves more emotion and building momentum than being financially literate.

What if you’re afraid?

As you know by now I love research and I love to quote others. Whenever I find a strong quote I save it on my laptop with a long list of other quotes. These come from books, blog posts, tweets, and anywhere else I go.

I found a gem when it comes to crushing fear. Tim Ferriss had the following to say about the topic:

Rehearse worst-case scenarios and they lose their power over you. Practice what you fear and ask all the while: “Is this the condition I so feared?”

Take care for now. I will be launching my first ever premium guide on how you can Completely Crush Credit next week. I’m excited to help you guys out!

Before I give you my free offer today I wanted to quickly recap the past week that we had around here.

On Monday we looked at how you can master credit cards in college without being a dork. This post was designed to show you the secrets of using a credit card like a stud. You don’t need to be a dork to know how to use a credit card or how to manage your money.

On Tuesday we got into talking about legacy. I wanted to know what legacy will you leave behind? I also wanted to hear about what was holding you back.

On Wednesday I was excited to share a story about my friend Bohdan and how he was able to pay off his credit card debt, quit his job, and find a sweet gig on Facebook. This was a colossal post with an extremely personal post. If you haven’t read it yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

Today I’m giving you a free gift and it’s not even Christmas or Halloween yet!

Do you like free stuff? Do you want to quit your job? Do you want to learn from someone that earns over 20k a month online?

If you give me 30 minutes (and your email address), I promise you that I can show you a way out. That’s right. I can show you how to get out of your current shitty situation.

A while back I conducted an exclusive case study with Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income. Pat just recently gave a phenomenal talk at the Financial Blogger Conference that I was at.

You can have this super-exclusive case study for free. Pat shares the following details:

• How you can rebound from losing your job.
• How you can become more productive in a limited amount of time.
• How he manages to earn a ridiculous amount of money per month off the internet and how you can do it too!
• How he manages his time so that he’s not always working.
• ..AND MUCH MORE!

Give it a try, no strings attached. If you don’t like it or don’t like me (how could you not?) all you have to do is unsubscribe. You don’t have to pay for anything. You have nothing to lose.

P.S. If the free gift and exclusive content is enough to entice you to join, I want to let you on a little secret. I’m going to be giving all subscribers an insane discount on my upcoming guide.

Are you looking for financial independence? Are you tired of your current job? Do you want to escape the rat race?

If you’re still reading then the chances are that the answer is yes. I have good news for you today because there’s a solution for you. Mike of The Financial Blogger has just launched The Rat Race: 1 Year From Now, Will You Still Be A Rat?

In this guide Mike shares his story of how he rose through the ranks in his company and how he simultanesiously built his own online blogging business. Mike just turned 30 and now has the financial freedom to no longer have to stress about money or worrying about how he’ll feed his family.

The guide comes with the pdf file of the book and with many checklists to ensure that you stay on progress. I found it to be very helpful and I feel that it’s a smart buy for anyone looking for answers when it comes to getting out of a horrible job.

For those of you that have been a reader of Studenomics for a long time you know that I don’t promote a product unless I stand behind it 100%. I can proudly say that I totally support Mike’s newest realese.

For those of you that don’t know I’ve been working with Mike for just over a year now. Mike got me my first break with freelance writing. I’ve been very thankful to Mike for giving me this opportunity. I was also super-excited when I found out that he would be writing an eBook on his journey. I love to hear from those that have real results to back up their writing.

As I usually like to do I wanted to share who I think would benefit from this eBook and who this eBook isn’t the right fit for.

You’ll love this eBook if:

• You’re not afraid to work.
• You want to see results.
• You want to get out of your current situation.
• You want more out of life.

You’ll hate this eBook if:

• You want a quick fix.
• You don’t see any problems with your current situation.
• You don’t believe in investing in yourself.

I love to see a peer take bold chances and I’m proud to see Mike get his first premium product out on the market. I urge that you give this product a chance. You really have nothing to lose because it comes with a money back guarantee. How can you go wrong?

Click here to pick up your copy of this guide.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine.

After reading about it, thinking about it, and talking about it, I’m going to go on my first ever vagabonding stint. I’ve decided on attempting my first ever vagabonding adventure in Poland. I figured it’s the best location because I speak the language and would love to improve my understanding of the culture. Okay, maybe that’s what I’m going to tell my parents. I’m just going to have fun.

I found a flight to Warsaw, Poland for $800. I haven’t figured out all of the details yet, but that’s what I love. It’s going to feel great to go a few weeks without any structure for the first time since I can ever remember.

I wrote a piece on how to travel the world many months back as I was getting into the idea of long term traveling.

Today I wanted to share my thoughts on planning this trip and other travels I’ve done in the past. Let’s jump into how to not suck at planning your next travel adventure:

Earn your freedom.

You need to earn your freedom. You can’t just assume that you deserve to travel. You need to pay off your debts and save money for your travels. You need to work hard for your eventual freedom.

Traveling for a long period of time shouldn’t be something you want to jump into just because you found a lifestyle design site and the blogger tells you it’s a good idea. You really need to challenge yourself mentally and physically so that you feel like you worked for your freedom.

More in this next…

Save up far in advance.

I think it’s completely irresponsible to travel when you owe a lot of money or if you haven’t saved anything for your trip. You want to enjoy your travels. You don’t want to come back knowing that you owe money on your credit card for the trip. You don’t want to feel like shit because you’re paying off a trip that happened many months ago. Traveling shouldn’t be another frivolous credit card purchase.

Sell your crap for extra cash.

There’s just a liberating feeling about letting go of stuff, getting money for it, and putting it towards amazing experiences. As soon as I started traveling I realized that I wanted to experience much more in life, as opposed to spending my money on crap that will be thrown into a closet 2 weeks later. How many $50 shirts do you need? Wouldn’t you rather spend a month in Europe than pickup some newest version of a tablet computer?

Be open minded.

If you’re uptight about things you’ll never have a good time. You really need to be open minded about everything. There’s no point in leaving your home if you’re going to find the faults in every situation because if you want everything to be exactly the same as at home, then you should probably stay at home.

You never know when you might have to sleep in less than ideal circumstances. You never know when you’re going to have to eat pizza four times a day. If you’re not open minded you’ll hate these spontaneous times. If you do open your mind, you’ll laugh at all of your random experiences.

Find cheap accommodations.

We often hear people say, “I would love to travel, it’s just too expensive.” Of course, travel can be very expensive if you’re staying in 5-star hotels and sipping on the finest wines every night. If you plan in advance and find cheap accommodations you can find yourself traveling on the cheap.

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive.  Once again, traveling doesn’t have to be another accessory that you put on your credit card and worry about paying off later. If you check out Couch Surfing and are willing to stay in hostels, you can find yourself traveling without breaking the bank. There’s no need to stay in fancy hotels every single night.

Go with the flow.

I never like to plan too much when I’m traveling or on vacation. I really like to go with the flow. It feels great to lose all standard procedures and routines once in a while. Real life becomes far too structured. Losing that structure is great. You feel like a kid all over again when you realize that you don’t formally have to be anywhere all day. This is why going with the flow is key to survival while traveling.

Talk with others.

There’s really no place in this world that others haven’t been to yet. If you don’t believe me, you can do a quick search on TripAdvisor. This is why I highly suggest that you talk with others before venturing off on a trip. You’ll find out what you need to bring, places to visit, and places to avoid. Talking with others is the best tool for planning a trip. You can check out the forums on Trip Advisor, ask your friends in real life, or even look for feedback on Facebook.

Don’t set limits.

You shouldn’t limit yourself and your travel plans. This is your chance to step out of your comfort zone. Enjoy it. Don’t limit yourself by some self-imposed limitations.

Photocopy your important documents.

It’s critical that you photocopy your passport, health card, and any other important documents so that you have an extra copy in case you lose anything. It’s going to be a major hassle if you ever lose your passport. You really need extra photocopies somewhere.

Get a close friend to watch over your expensive shit.

If you have a car or home you really need to get a close buddy to watch it. It really helps if you leave a list of emergency numbers, your keys, and important documentation behind for someone that you trust. You don’t want to fly back early from a trip to have to deal with a minor issue at home.

Screw souvenirs.

I really wanted to bring up this point. I’m sick of souvenirs and people asking for them. I like to enjoy my trips. I try to avoid tourist traps. I hate feeling like I’m getting ripped off. This is why I’m not crazy about $30 “I love this city” shirts. I’d rather meet lots of cool people and take pictures that I can look back at with a smile on my face in a few years. I don’t want to take up valuable space with souvenirs.

This is also why I wanted to share this quote at the end of the post…

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill.

Did I miss any tips on how not to suck at planning a trip? Do you have any rituals before planning a trip?

Don’t worry Studenomics isn’t turning into a lifestyle design blog. I want to write about something useful and helpful. I will however jump into topics about travel once in a while because I know that this is a topic that interests many based on feedback.

(photo credit: mr.imaax, ingy the wingy)

Sometimes the pressures of the world seem to accumulate and then weigh us down in a sudden stroke of awareness. Something like that happened to my sweetheart this morning, and I got caught up in it, so I thought it would be good to share it with you. After a moment reviewing the precarious financial position that many find themselves in today, my sweetheart asked me rhetorically, “Why don’t they teach us what we need to know while we’re in school?” She continued, “We’re told all of these lies and then led to believe if we follow along with what we’re told, our lives will turn out just fine.”

Those sharp words got me thinking about all of the misleading things that one might believe during our years in high school and at the university. To be sure, some of the lies aren’t lies at all, they’re our own misunderstandings and assumptions. Either way, we can get into plenty of trouble if we don’t approach the world with our eyes wide open.

Let’s look at several key assumptions or misunderstandings that we might have:

You Go to School to Learn. This is true to some extent, but largely, going to school “punches your ticket.” In other words, it opens doors for you, so you can enter the working world where the real education begins. When I look back on my days at school, to be sure there were things I learned and learned well, but much of my knowledge, skill and experience today is based on being involved in the working world, not based on teachings that often come from a theoretical perspective.

This concept of “learning by being involved” dawned on me clearly in one of my political science classes that I attended after having worked six months as a co-op student in a position with the federal government. Working with senior people in this capacity as an employee allowed me to see how things worked from both an employee and management perspective. When I went back to the university, the topics in class were much more interesting and meaningful, and the insights imparted by the professor made sense. In addition, I was a much more effective contributor to discussions simply because I had “been there, done that.”

It was my eye opener with respect to where learning really takes place. You can read all you want, study all you want, and role play until the cows come home, but not until you have experience out there, where the rubber meets the road, will you ever know just how much learning there is left to do.

Study Hard, Get Good Grades, Get a Good Job. This is probably one of the first things you learned about the virtues of education. It’s only half true at best. Having a good job is great. Having secure employment is wonderful. Having lateral and upward mobility in your career field is also a tremendous boon for your future. Nevertheless, it’s at best only half of the formula for success.

If you couple your good job with good financial management, wise and conservative investment, regular savings, and a long view in terms of creating financial security, then you’ll likely make very good use of income from that good job you landed. If you think about it, it probably won’t take you long to identify an individual who has made a tremendous fortune working in their chosen field of endeavor, only to squander that wealth through poor decision-making and living a lifestyle that is unsustainable. Clearly, having high income is only part of the formula for financial success — we need to be able to harness that income to make it pay long-range dividends in terms of accumulation of wealth and a comfortable retirement.

Pay Attention. I know this sounds simplistic in nature, but it’s the foundation of nearly everything related to our personal and financial success. It’s a polite way of saying, “Life is hard, it’s harder if you’re stupid.”

Today we have millions of Americans who live check-to-check, millions of Americans who make a living based on so many dollars per hour, and millions of Americans who can’t promote themselves simply because they don’t have the credentials necessary — a college education. So, where were they when parents, friends, teachers and others in the working world were encouraging them to stay in school and get an education? I don’t know where they were, but I can promise you one thing – they weren’t paying attention.

When one of my college professors spoke about the characteristics of financially successful people, I paid attention. And I’m glad I did. One of the points he made struck a chord with me and stuck firmly in my mind. The point he made identified a general attribute of financially successful people – it was their ability to delay gratification. He was quoting a study. I don’t know which one. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that I paid attention and put that concept to good use.

That concept of delaying gratification stuck in my mind because it was a technique that my family had used to build wealth despite their modest sources of income. I recognized that we didn’t have a swimming pool, a yacht, a vacation home, a housekeeper, and many other things that more affluent people had. Instead, we focused on delaying gratification, and that made all the difference in the world. If I hadn’t been paying attention to what my professor said and how my family behaved, that concept may have eluded me, and with it one of the keys to financial success.

Things Change. With all of the structure that we’re exposed to as a student, one of the truths that often escapes us is that things change. If Dwight Yoakam can figure it out and write a song about it, we ought to be able to figure it out as well. Whether you’re going to school today or you attended school 20 years ago, the story is the same – technology has always been changing and the economy has always changed with it. If you don’t recognize change when you see it (perhaps because you’re not paying attention), then you’ll find yourself behind the power curve trying to catch up.

One of the saddest things I ever heard as a college student was one of my co-workers, an older gent who was particularly disappointed in his current situation as an employee. His employment benefits and the potential for advancement had shifted over the years, partly because his job was based on the political climate, and partly because he expected the situation of his employment to remain throughout his career as it was when he first joined the organization. How wrong he was, and how unrealistic can one person be! Things change, and we need to be willing to change with them to maintain a competitive edge and retain the place that we would like to have for ourselves in the economy.

It’s Up to You. No matter how many times someone tell us that it’s our life and the direction we take is up to us, it’s a truth that takes quite a while before it sinks in. Even though the average American is relatively independent and our culture is one of individual achievement, many of us have become lulled into a sense of conformity. You can see it on the bumper stickers, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.” Get yourself a view of the world from the local television traffic copter, and you’ll soon get the idea that conformity only gets you so far.

To be truly successful, and to capture happiness and satisfaction within our lives, we need to be achievement oriented. And, achievement isn’t found by following the crowd – it’s found by blazing our own trail, doing things differently, taking a chance, and otherwise stepping outside of the norm to allow ourselves to be the life leader that we can be. No one else can do it for us. It’s up to us as individuals.

Shake off the idea of sitting in a chair or at a desk in a row, attending school that has regular hours, and doing other things that have proper fit, appearance and timing. To have an extraordinary life, you need to break out of the ordinary in many ways. De-institutionalize yourself, because there are precious few out there who will do it for you.

To be sure, there’s lots of other stuff that we were never told in school, but these are some of the more significant items that we should be keeping in front of us. At least that’s how my sweetheart sees it as of this morning. So, I thought today would be a good day for sharing.

This was a guest post from Clair Schwan.

“You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You’ll never remember class time, but you’ll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don’t have. Drink ’til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does…”

- Tom Petty.

Now that college is done you’re likely confused as to what to do next. Some of us are always confused. Some just don’t really care all that much. Either way, if you just finished college you’re likely contemplating what to do next. You want to be productive but you don’t want to spend all of your time working. What can you do if you want to completely crush it post-grad? I’m still trying to figure this out, but I’ve tried many of the things on this list.

Let’s jump into 11 ways you can crush it after college:

1. Recharge your batteries.

You might want to use the first little bit of time towards recharging your batteries. This doesn’t mean that you should squander a year by sleeping on the couch and watching MTV all day. However, this can be the ideal time to get back on a more normal sleep schedule.

2. Travel.

This is a rare chance to get some traveling done. You can take advantage of your free time and the fact that you don’t have to fill out a vacation request form to go visit a place you’ve always wanted to go to. If you have the money you can get some once in a life time style traveling done post-college.

3. Work on a side business.

Is there a new business that you really want to start? Before you get tied up with a job and are worried about losing your job, you can try to see if you have what it takes to be self-employed. You might discover that being your own boss is the best thing for you. On the other hand, it can be a lesson in the hardships on entrepreneurship.

4. Start a retirement account.

It’s never too early to begin preparing for retirement. If you start saving for your retirement in your early-20s you’ll be surprised by how much money you can save. With compound interest on your side, you can retire much earlier than your peers by starting early.

5. Pick up a new sport.

With your newly found spare time you can pick up a sport. This is a great way to remain active and to meet new people. I’ve made so many new friends just by joining an MMA gym.

6. Switch locations by moving out of town.

It might be time for a change of locations for you. Before you get started with your career and settle in with life, you can experiment with moving away and trying to find work in a different area. This change can lead to an amazing new life that you never knew existed.

7. Live like a college student.

Just because you’re done college it doesn’t mean that you can’t live like a college student any more. This will be the best way to save some money as you figure out what you plan on doing next. Plus, nothing beats eating pizza three times a day.

8. Volunteer your time.

Have you given back to your community? I’m currently looking into ways that I can help out more often by giving my time. Volunteer work is a great way to stay busy while doing something that benefits your community. Have you ever tried volunteering?

9. Work abroad.

When will you ever again be able to just take off and leave for a year? When will you ever be so free of responsibilities that you can take off for an extended period of time to live somewhere else? A friend of mine that worked abroad told me that he loved it because he got to save some money and experience a new culture for a full year.

10. Tutor college students.

The best part here is that you can still stay in touch with your college roots. Tutoring college students is a perfect way to make some money, stay on top of key concepts, and help others that are going through a similar experience that you went through.

11. Start reading more outside-the-box content.

Just because you’re done college it doesn’t mean that you’re done with learning. College will give you the formal education that you can put on your resume when applying for jobs. Everything else you read can help you with changing the way you view money and work in general. I wrote on 5 books about money/entrepreneurship that changed my life. I think that every college graduate needs to read at least one of these books in the near future. There’s simply only so much that you can learn in the confines of a classroom.

What’s a quick tip you would recommend for life after college?

I know that it feels like you’re always busy and that things can get pretty overwhelming at times. When you finally do get a chance to relax it’s tempting to just zone out in front of the tv for hours while you watch reruns of Teen Mom or some other whacky MTV show. You can use all of your down time to just chill. You can also take a bit of this time and use it to save thousands of dollars. Yes, your spare time can actually do great things for you.

What are the four ways that you can turn your spare time into thousands of dollars?

Get your financial situation straightened out.

Instead of lounging around you can finally sit down to figure out what you can do about your debt or research ways you can save $50 in the next week. I remember sometimes during long bus rides to school I would play around with my calculator and crunch numbers to see how long it would take me to save up for my goals. You can also use this down time to get all of your monthly bills together and automate them. This will save you lots of time in the future. You might even save some money because you won’t pay your bills late ever again.

Check out: Money Saving Techniques That Work & Don’t Work.

Start an online savings account.

Most of us just don’t know where to save our money. If you want to prevent any stress or hassle, I highly recommended that you start a simple savings account online for now. It only takes a few minutes to sign up, you can create sub-accounts, you can setup a direct transfer from your paycheck, and you don’t have to worry about the fluctuations that come with the stock market. You don’t have to permanently store your money in a savings account, it’s just a good place to get started.

Check out: Trying to Find The Best Savings Account.

Start a side business.

Your spare time can be used to start a side business where you can have fun with a hobby and perhaps earn some extra money. The day I started this very site I remember sitting at home, nobody wanted to go out that day, and I didn’t have any homework. It then hit me that my excuse of being too busy to write wouldn’t hold up all of the time. I started writing here and have always made it a point to write. The beauty about starting a side business is that you can attempt to make some money on the side while you still go on with your everyday life. You don’t have to quit your job or take any huge risks.

Read: How You Can Start a Business Right Now With $1,000.

Get a part-time job.

There’s no shame in getting a part-time job to earn some extra money. You might have to swallow your pride and work a job that you perceive to be beneath you. So what? This extra money could be put towards your debt payments or it can increase your savings. I highly recommend that everyone should consider finding part-time work.

Read: Stop Being a Loser & Get a Job.

How have you utilized your spare time to save or make some money?

Once you graduate from college you realize that you need to make a few huge decisions. These are decisions that will shape the rest of your life. These are decisions that you’ll look back at and analyze when you’re old and getting ready to retire. Kind of scary, huh? What are some of these decisions that need to be made after college?

Should I go to graduate school?

Should I move out of town for graduate school?

Should I accept that job offer?

Should I leave town for better work opportunities?

Should I start my own business?

Should I travel?

The decision to go to graduate school is arguably the most important one because it affects every other decision. Let’s single in on this today.

When researching both sides to the debate on attending graduate school I realized that there was a lot of so-called “traditional” thinking. In the past year I decided to a read material that was a little less conventional and more out there. I read Career Renegade, The 4-Hour Workweek, and The Art of Non-Conformity. All of these books changed the way I view education, work, and life after college.

The AONC (by Chris Guillebeau) provided the best alternative for graduate school in my opinion. Guillebeau lists 14 options of unconventional ideas that you can perform in one year instead of going to graduate school. I won’t list all of the ideas because you need to grab a copy of the book for that. I will list the points that stuck out the most to me.

1. Buy a round-the-world ticket.
2. Learn a new language.
3. Start a blog.
4. Pick up at least three new skills.

On the surface these may not seem like the most productive ideas for someone considering a graduate degree or for life in general post-college. When you think about it a little further, these four options alone can yield long term results that you wouldn’t expect. Let’s break it down.

Buy a round-the-world ticket.

This can be the experience that you need after college to open your eyes. There’s so much more out there that we just don’t know about in this world. I’ve traveled many times and there’s so many places that I still want to visit while I’m single and full of energy. An around the world ticket can cost you around a $5,000, but it’s a once in a life time opportunity to travel, work in different places, and meet people of all cultures.

Learn a new language.

How many languages do you speak? Would you like to communicate with the locals in a foreign country? I speak Polish and English. I’ve also been steadily trying to pick up some Spanish. I really want to expand my knowledge and understand of other languages. I feel that this ties in with the previous point because you can listen to all the CDs possible but you won’t pick up the true language until you live and work with locals. The idea of learning a new language really has me excited and motivated to travel more. My goal is to live in a Spanish speaking country for a few months next winter.

Start a blog.

A blog can be an excellent platform for getting your voice heard. You can also embarrass yourself with a blog. Either way I urge everyone reading this to at least start a blog for the sake of jotting down your thoughts on a specific topic. Your new blog could turn into a source of income or it could be a fun hobby. For me it’s both.

Pick up at least three new skills.

These can be any skills that you’ve always wanted to learn. Anything from kickboxing to handyman work. Not all of these skills will lead to a direct income. However, you can learn to save yourself lots of money in the future if you master skills that are in demand (home repairs, working out, sports). At the moment I’m trying to learn how to perform basic home repairs so that I can have DIY projects when I have a family in the future.

Ask the readers: what would you recommend for life after college? Did you attend graduate school?