Graduation season is just around the corner and if you are about to graduate, CONGRATULATIONS! Graduating college, especially for our first-generation college students out there, is a huge accomplishment.
If you are a first-generation college student, you’ll want to keep reading. We’ve compiled a list of helpful tips to ensure you are set up for success as you continue onto your next adventure.
- Student Loan Payment Set Up: If you are graduating with student loans (research shows roughly 66% of first-generation college students), you will want to ensure you are set up for success through a payment plan. Depending on which loans you needed, your payment plan may differ. Under President Biden’s new plan, for any federal loans you have, you may now set up your plan based on income (among other options). You will also have six months post-graduation of a grace period before you are required to start paying your loans back. Visit this website for more information.
- Update Your Resume: Ensuring your resume is up to date, is detrimental as you begin or continue your journey. Whether you are looking for a new role, or already have one, this will help you be prepared for whatever comes next in your career. Your degree is helping you get one step closer to your next achievement!
- Network: Networking is invaluable to not only your career, but also your life, as networking with the right people could put you at the center of your next opportunity. Research shows roughly 60% of all jobs are found through networking. Joining advocacy groups, clubs, and other opportunities to network will help you increase your potential of landing that next role.
- Join A Club: Joining a club will help you learn from others through shared experiences. Research shows joining a club helps with feelings of loneliness, as 60% of adults in the U.S., report feeling lonely. Clubs or any kind of support groups, allow you a space to be among those who may have similar shared experiences as you. Figuring out life after college can feel lonely, especially for members of the BIPOC community. Find events and clubs you can join in Stockton, California by visiting here.
- Prepare To Negotiate: First generation college graduates are most likely (in comparison to continuous graduate peers) to not negotiate for a higher starting salary, benefits, paid time off, and the list goes on. Maybe that offer your exposed to is amazing, but maybe they are trying to lowball you. There are different free tools currently available, that will help you compare salaries per industry and job title. A quick search on the web, will help you maximize your starting salary and benefit potential.
We hope this helps as you navigate through the next chapter of your story. If you are a first generation college student graduating this year, we’d love to hear from you! Let us know on our socials.
