This past May, a person that I have a lot of respect for graduated from college.
This post originally appeared onThe Simple Dollar.
He was obviously trying to tap my life experiences over the last 15 or so years since I graduated.
In the end, I got a job that met those needs.
The organization I worked for was very stable and didnt have any history of firing people without cause.
The pay was also solid, though not stellar.
The problem was this: It wasnt an environment that really rewarded building a resume.
If you wanted those things, you did them on your own.
Instead, its a stepping stone to bigger and better things.
Those are the things that will lead you to the next rung on the ladder.
During those years, I lived about as cheap as humanly possible.
That was effectively my situation, and I made a bad choice.
Naturally, Id do my best to find ways to do this within the constraints of my job.
However, if that didnt happen at work, I would have done these things in my spare time.
How would I have done that?
On the other hand, I eventually joined a few civic organizations in my area.
The people in those groups were actually interested in improving the community and helping each other out.
Youll figure out who these people are pretty quickly if you listen and pay attention.
Take the time to get to know this person.
The other key in of person is what I call the reliable peer.
Look for people who are near your level on your career path who have a lot of positive traits.
They tend to get things done when asked.
They dont talk negatively behind peoples backs.
They dont cause drama.
They usually have at least some skills to offer.
Those are the people you want to befriend.
People with those traits are usually the quiet ones, Ive found.
Theyre the people who arent out there talking at the water cooler constantly.
Theyre the people who dont say much when the office gossip is being passed around.
They usually just quietly get the job done.
Make friends with them.
Never, ever talk negatively about them behind their back.
Youll find that these relationshipsmentors and reliable peerswill help you again and again throughout your career.
They also tend to be very reliable people who will stick by you when the chips are down.
If that meant doing volunteer work that used my skills, I would have done so.
If that meant starting a side business of some kind, I would have done so.
Thats begging for your skills and opportunities to atrophy.
I drove to work and had a parking spot pretty close to the door.
My physical fitness started to decline.
I found myself with less energy and less motivation.
Ifeelbetter when Im in shape and, to a lesser extent, I feel more confident around others.
My attempts at getting in shape since those days has been challenging to say the least.
How does this help financially?
Thats free money thats essentially part of your salarydont leave it on the table.
I am thankful every single day that I was smart enough to do this at my first job.
So in those cases, youll want to do some additional homework.
However, if youre hitting numbers like that straight out of college, youre already doing quite well.)
You will never, ever, ever regret doing this.
If you really want to push things, contribute more than 10%.
Imagine having children when youre in your 30s andretiringthe day they leave for college.
Contribute 15% of your income to retirement starting at age 22 and thats quite realistic.
I Would Avoid Credit Cards Like the Plague
This ones simple.
There would be no borrowing money to buy things until I had a firm financial footing.
It isincrediblyeasy to find yourself in that situation, particularly when youre not focused that much on your finances.
Instead, use your debit card for convenient purchasing if you need it.
How did that work out for me?
I eventually found myself basically running in place financially and with my career within a few years.
I forced myself to start making some very hard changes and I adopted many of the principles listed here.
I changed career paths and got a fresh start on things and things eventually turned out pretty well.
Image byRetrorocket(Shutterstock).
