Alumni Advice

What’s Next? Advice – U.Va. Alumni

We asked U.Va. alumni the question, “What is something you know now that you wish you had known when you graduated?” Here is what they had to say. . .

I know now that it is “okay” to graduate. Even as I walked down the Lawn, I was in denial that it was all happening. If there was a way to stay in Charlottesville with my friends, I was looking for it. Now, I know that graduating was not such a bad thing. I have my own money, have made some great new friends, and love where I live.
The best part is that when I have needed my Charlottesville fix I have been able to visit for a weekend, be nostalgic and visit all my favorite places. I would tell new graduates to take a deep breath, enjoy graduation and the celebrations that go along with it. Then get very excited about what awaits you…even if you don’t know know exactly where your path is going to lead you. The journey is half the fun.

It’s OK not to have a plan. It’s better to know yourself – know what you enjoy, what you do better than most people and what chances you’re willing to take. Armed with that self-knowledge, you’ll quickly identify opportunities when they present themselves and be able to act on them.

I wish I had known that my academic major was not going to matter that much. Actually, I wish I knew that my second year when I was in anguish over which major to choose. Networking and informational interviews were critical in my job search and have been beneficial to me in many ways. Never pass up an opportunity to meet new people – whether it is in a social or professional setting. You never know who you will meet or who they know, what they do, etc.
I would also encourage new graduates (or any graduate for that matter) to take advantage of the resources to locate and contact U.Va. alumni. I have yet to meet an alum who has not gone out of their way to help me. I hope to be in a place professionally one day to return the favor.

Getting a job is a hard, humbling experience. It’s a hard realization to swallow that you may have to spend several months, even years, waiting tables while your U.Va. degree collects dust.
To that end, do not waste time applying for jobs online. No one will see your resume. I can personally vouch for this. Instead, call every potential contact you know and, if that leads nowhere, break out the yellow pages. Seriously! I went down the list of advertising agencies in my local yellow pages, calling to see if they had any availabilities, and ended up with two job offers, after months of applying online and getting no bites. I read somewhere that you have to submit 50 job applications to even receive one interview offer.
Speaking of interviews: it’s by far the most important part of the job application process. You’re just graduating and won’t have a lot of experience on your resume. So own that! Admit that you lack experience, but make up for that in skills, talent, enthusiasm and confidence. If you don’t wow them in your interview, what your resume and cover letter says won’t make a difference whatsoever. Come prepared, be articulate and, most importantly, pretend that you know what you’re talking about even if you don’t.
Another piece of advice: it’s not the end of the world to move back in with your parents. If you live with your parents while you work that measly hourly internship, you’ll be able to save up a cushion and get a much nicer apartment when you finally do score that well-paying job and move out. (And speaking of money, open a retirement account now!)
Lastly, it’s important to realize that the adjustment from college to post-college is difficult. Honestly, it sucks. Your friends move away, it’s hard to find direction, and you have to work much harder than you did in school without getting a summer vacation. The hardest part for me was shifting from the “my life is over!” mentality to the “this is a great opportunity” mentality. Just understand that this time in your life is full of opportunities. Go ahead, start your own business! Backpack through Europe! You’ll never experience another time in your life quite like your early 20s. I spent far too long crying in my bedroom lamenting my long lost college days. Embrace your newfound responsibility and the transition will be much easier.

Start saving for retirement right away. Retirement seems very far away and there are so many new expenses to deal with that it’s easy to put it off. Start contributing to an IRA or a retirement program through work. Even if it’s a small amount, get started and let time and compounding interest go to work for you. Even if you only wait until your early 30s, it’s hard to catch up. Use an automatic payroll reduction for retirement contributions–you’ll find that you won’t miss the money at all.
Don’t run up a big credit card debt. It’s a hard hole to climb out of.
Get familiar with the grocery store and learn to cook. It will save a ton of money and it’s fun and rewarding.

You cannot afford to NOT contribute to a retirement account, especially if your employer matches.
Homeowners insurance does NOT cover damage done by rodents which includes, say, a squirrel which has been trapped in your house for 3 days while you are away and destroys all your windows.
Never underestimate the value of networking. A good resume gets you in the door, a good interview gets you the job.
You will never make friends as easily as you did in college so maintain those friendships. A college friend is a dear friend.
Marriage isn’t as hard as everybody says it is IF you are married to the right person. In the end, pick the guy/girl who can laugh WITH you and AT himself/herself.
Some things I have learned about relocating to a new city are that UVA connections help!!!!
Working (versus being a college student) makes it great to have your weekends to yourself (no studying)

I would have loved to have known that there were UVaClubs in North Carolina before I moved there. I do not recall if it was because I was busy with work or just didn’t know any better, but I did not look for a local club until several years after I moved to the area. I did not know a single person when I moved to Greensboro, and it would have been nice to connect with other U.Va. folks when I first arrived.
I also wish I had been told why it is important to update my contact information with HoosOnline. My parents would collect the mail, and I would read it when I went home two or three times a year. If I knew that I would get invitations to local events, the U.Va. Magazine, etc., I would have kept my address updated from the moment I moved.

It’s OK not to have a plan. It’s better to know yourself – know what you enjoy, what you do better than most people and what chances you’re willing to take. Armed with that self-knowledge, you’ll quickly identify opportunities when they present themselves and be able to act on them.

I didn’t realize how much effort it would take to stay in touch with closest friends. In college, all I had to do was walk down the hall or down the street to see my closest friends. Now, with busy schedules and/or distance, we need either plane tickets to see each other or to schedule times to see each other. My friends and I have gotten together every year since we graduated from U.Va. It takes some coordinating, but has been well worth it.
Not only have I been able to have great weekends with my friends, but I have been able to travel to Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Miami, and San Francisco. My advice to any graduate would be make time to visit with your friends even if it means scheduling visits months in advance.

It’s a good idea to keep a spreadsheet or list of your contacts, their contact info, what company they’re with and where you are in the follow up process…it’s tough to remember after awhile.
Go for informational interviews, even though they get frusterating and seem to be leading nowhere. They often lead to other contacts and opportunities.
Ask each contact if he/she would mind giving you three more contacts.
Try to find bio’s on a company’s website and look for something you have in common with someone, then shoot him/her an email. See if he/she has contacts or advice. (I found someone who went to UVA and had my same major, and he led to over 40 contacts)
My advice would be to pay attention to your finances. It is very easy to pick up coffee and a bagel on the way to work, eat lunch out, and then meet friends for dinner after work. The next thing you know, you’re doing this five times a week and wondering where all your money has gone. Eat breakfast at home and pack a lunch. Pay attention to where your money is going, and watch out for credit cards. I know firsthand how you can spend beyond your means and then find yourself in debt beyond what you can pay back. When you’re buying things you always think you will be able to pay it off at the end of the month and then think you’ll pay it off next month. Only spend what you earn or have a plan for paying back what you charge.

Some questions to consider..
For those lucky few with liberal arts degrees and multiple job offers–how do you choose? College alums are often faced with job offers in varying industries that makes it difficult to compare job offers. I was fortunate to be in that position and had no idea how to choose other than to go where my boyfriend was! Turned out to be a good decision, but I would not recommend that rationale to others.
How do you go about finding an apartment/roommate in a brand new city? How do you avoid being conned or taken advantage of?
How do you choose benefits, including different health plans, 401K contribution, flex-spending, etc.
How do you find social outlets in a city where you may not know a lot of people?
How do you get involved in the community?

People are not joking when they say you will not have a vacation after you graduate. So, I would have traveled the summer after I graduated, instead of just thinking about it…a lot.
I think when you are in college, you don’t realize how busy you are. When you graduate, everything kind of comes to a screeching halt, and it’s kind of scary when all the distractions go away and you are actually taking a hard look at your life. You start to look at all the things you pushed out of your mind because you were too busy or distracted to deal with them. And, you find that a lot of the things you avoided were the really messy things. So, my advice is to acknowledge this natural/forced (however you look at it) “pause” in your life and deal with whatever you need to deal with to wrap-up that stage of your life, instead of carrying over your unsettled issues into the next busy phase of your life, where you will surely put them on the shelf again.

I have learned that networking can be extremely useful – don’t be afraid to use any connections you may have to to at least get you “in the door”.
I have learned that it is important to work on keeping the friends you make in college. They will be the strongest friendships you make and will get you through tough times and be the people you want around the most during the happy times as well.
I learned that relocating to a new city can be tough, but often worth it. It can provide new experiences and make you grow and change, which is sometimes a good thing.
I also learned that, while I felt very busy as a college student, looking back, I realize that I had more free time and less responsibility than I will ever have, especially now that I am a parent.