Old People Advice for Graduates
By Joe Rector
It’s that time of year again: graduation. Knoxville businesses look forward to this event each year because grandparents, cousins, uncles, aunts, and close friends invade the area to watch special young people walk across the stage to receive high school or college diplomas.
The graduates are astir with the excitement that comes with completing an education or moving to the next level. Parties are thrown, plenty of alcohol is shared, and tears are shed. Most realize that the end of high school or college marks the end of many relationships that have existed for years. However, time marches on, and individuals heed the calls to begin careers or earn higher degrees. Those new adventures take young folks to different settings where they will make new friends; a few of the people with whom they shared education-filled years will become close friends. In fact, most of those classmates will never be seen again.
For those graduates, I want to share some truths. Many might have heard them before, but if I can shed light on the coming years for just one person, I will have succeeded. First, forget the thoughts you had about making “big bucks” in your first new job. As a “newbie,” you are at the bottom of the ladder. You’ll receive a salary commiserate with your experience. Usually, the number is far less than the one you dreamed of.
You won’t be the CEO or manager at work on the first day. You will have an entry-level position that is filled with hours of training and seemingly insignificant tasks. Here’s a hint: all these things are what new workers must do until they can prove themselves worthy of more responsibilities. Work is a means to an end: you give your time and efforts and receive payment. No, it’s not necessarily fun. That’s why folks call it work.
Because you didn’t start out making hundreds of thousands of dollars, your life will need a budget. Bills will come in each month, and you must pay them. If you don’t, your utilities will be turned off, your Internet will stop working, and your belongings will be removed from your residence and placed on the sidewalk. No longer can you blow through money because you just don’t have enough to do so.
Don’t trick yourself into thinking that a credit card will cure financial problems. Those companies love for you to add stuff to that total for which they bill you each month and on which they pile a huge interest payment. At this point in life, let life be guided by the thought, “If I can’t pay cash for it, I won’t buy it.” Yes, denying yourself a treat is not nice, but it’s what responsible adults do if they want to stay solvent.
Responsibility becomes a reality, and it sucks. You have them in your financial life; they are with you at work each day. Friends and family also become part of your grown-up lives. Plenty of days you’ll find yourself wishing for just a little bit of free time with no one or nothing to satisfy.
Sometimes you might have to work overtime. Don’t refuse to do so because it’s another test. The money from it might also help out your cash-strapped predicament. Realize that staying home and working or just sitting is sometimes the best choice to make.
From your graduation day onward, you’re now an adult. Your success in life sits squarely in your hands. You can’t blame anyone else for the mistakes or incorrect decisions you make. Own up to them. Put on your big-person panties and dive into adulthood. Learn to enjoy what is in front of you. Be thankful that you live in the greatest country in the world and work your hardest to make it an even better place. We old folks have the benefit of hindsight, which is always 20/20. However, we give you advice about life because we’ve lived it and made poor choices and mistakes already. Our goal is not to tell you what to do but to guide you around those things as much as possible. We are incredibly proud of your achievements, and we leave you a world of good and bad. Let’s see how you handle it.
